Left, Runners hit the course during the Take A Step 5K, a benefit for CAP Services’ Family Crisis Center. This year’s event will be held Tuesday, July 16, in Stevens Point. (Contributed photo)

For the City-Times

CAP Services’ Take A Step 5K will be held Tuesday, July 16, in Stevens Point. The family-friendly event, now in its 11th year, will include a competitive race, non-competitive walk and a free children’s fun run.

“It benefits CAP Services’ Family Crisis Center (FCC), and does good for the community” said Diane Hope, program assistant at the FCC and one of the event’s organizers. “It’s a fun time.”

The 5k will start at 6 p.m. at the Allen Center on Illinois Avenue across form Parking Lot Q on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) campus. The race route heads north along Michigan Avenue to Dubay Avenue before looping back to UWSP. Runners are encouraged to be at the starting point by 5:30 p.m.; on-site registration begins at 4:00 p.m. The free Kiddie K 50-yard fun run will be held at 5:30 p.m.

“It’s unique in that it’s in the evening,” said Hope, who said she expects 300 to 350 participants. “It’s a collaborative effort between the FCC and the National Wellness Institute (NWI) and held during its annual Wellness Conference, resulting in participants representing a very large geographic area.”

Participants receive a T-shirt, a goodie bag and food, and are eligible for door prizes. Registration, which costs $25 per person, is currently open. The race brochure is available on the events page of the CAP website at www.capservices.org. Wellness Conference participants can register under the “Conference” tab at www.nationalwellness.org, which also includes past race results.

Competitive runners are welcome at the event, which features chip timing for runners. Awards will be given to the first three female and first three male finishers in various age categories. A Spirit Award will be given to the corporation that best champions the spirit of the event.

The race is the biggest fundraiser for the Crisis Center, having raised more than $130,000 from participants and sponsors over its first 10 years. Last year’s proceeds helped the FCC provide shelter for 120 women and children; provide shelter for 19 youth as foster placement, runaways and time-out from family; and continue to support CAP’s Sexual Assault Victim Services (SAVS) program in Portage and Waupaca counties.

In addition to CAP and NWI, event sponsors include 97.9 WSPT; Paramount Farms, Inc.; Delta Dental; United Way of Portage County; Mark Toyota Scion; and Ministry Health Care. Ministry Point Sports Medicine will provide medical services for the event.

The event also aims to increase public awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault issues. “The need for a domestic violence shelter and children’s services continues,” said Hope. CAP’s Family Crisis Center in Stevens Point offers a domestic violence shelter and group home youth shelter, providing an alternative when home is not a safe option. Hope said the need for FCC services have persisted even as program funding has been cut.

CAP Services is a private, nonprofit community action agency that has been helping low-income people attain economic and emotional self-sufficiency since 1966.

The Stevens Point-based National Wellness Institute was founded in 1977 with a mission of providing health promotion and wellness professionals unparalleled resources and services that fuel professional and personal growth.