It’s not every day you can do good just by moving your feet.
About 55 people did that very thing Saturday morning by running a 5K organized by the Columbus Kiwanis Club. The event was a fundraiser for the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library.
The race started at the Tennessee Williams Home on Main Street at 8 a.m.
The event came about because the club wanted to give a financial boost to organizations that focus on children, explained Kiwanis President Steven Lavender.
“As an organization we focus on children, especially children who don’t normally have a good support system,” Lavender said. “We pick a group or organization that does a lot with children, and then we help out by holding a fundraiser or doing a service project.”
This is the second year the Kiwanis have held the run, and both times the club chose to help the library, Lavender said.
“We viewed the library as a place that doesn’t that doesn’t receive a lot of attention and probably could benefit from the financial support,” Lavender said.
Last year’s funds went to the library’s autism resource center, said CLPL Director Erin Busbea, and this year’s donation will, as well.
“Last year they raised about $5,000 for us, and that was amazing,” Busbea said. “With that money … we were able to redesign the space along the back wall of the children’s area, and we bought manipulatives for children who are somewhere on the (autism) spectrum.”
Busbea said no firm decisions have been made about how the money will be spent from this year’s race, but it will definitely go toward autism resources. One likely candidate is tools a parent can check out and take home to test out.
“We have a cabinet with therapy tools for children that are on the spectrum, and a lot of them are really expensive,” Busbea said. “A parent might not want to purchase something without trying it first, and at the library they can have access so they can try it out on a trial basis. That way if the child doesn’t like it they’ve not lost any money.”
Lavender told The Dispatch the Kiwanis has already raised more money this year than they did last year.
“We’re going to be able to give them more than $6,000 this year,” Lavender said. “We sold $250 sponsorships, and about $5,500 came from that.”
The rest came from the $20 registration fee paid by the runners, he said.
“We’re really excited that they have decided to continue partnering with us,” Busbea said. “The support has been amazing.”
For more information on the autism research center, contact Children’s and Teen Services Coordinator Tori Hopper at [email protected], call (662) 329-5300 or visit lowndeslibrary.com.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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