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Yet another occasion to enjoy the great outdoors and get more fit while supporting a worthy cause is coming to the Camellia City in mid-April.

The 6th Annual Healthy Kids 5K/10K Walk/Run is slated for Saturday, April 14 in downtown’s Confederate Park. This year’s theme is “Together We Can Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect,” and Healthy Kids director Lisa Nimmer wants to see the community turn out and let its spirit shine that Saturday.

“Our goal through Healthy Kids is to ensure that every child has a safe, wholesome and nurturing environment that will allow them to grow and learn and be the best they can be. This community’s children are our future, and working together to end cases of child abuse and neglect can help more of our youngsters have that bright future,” says Nimmer.

“We hope to have hundreds of runners and walkers join us on the 14th to help make that goal a reality.”

Not only will those who register for the upcoming walk/run get one of the event’s signature red and white t-shirts for their participation, those among the first 200 to sign up will get a special bonus, says Nimmer.

“I am happy to share that the first 200 Healthy Kids walkers and runners will also receive a Montgomery Biscuits Baseball Flex ticket and a discount coupon to Wintzell’s Oyster House—so get registered soon.”

Registration and packet pick up opens at 7 a.m. April 14 at the park, with the walk/run slated to kick off at 8:30 a.m. Registration fees through April 13 are $25 per participant; the fee is $30 the day of the event.  Registration may be done online at healthykidsal.org, www.active.com or by calling 371-2104.

And as the walk/run has grown, so has the list of activities offering plenty of fun for families in Confederate Park, says Nimmer.

“We have a full slate of activities and events that morning. Our wonderful sponsors are offering a variety of children’s games in the park beginning at 9 a.m. There will also be a bouncy castle and slides, face painting, a bubble station, Disney characters to meet and greet the kids and a free fun run at 10 a.m. that the youngsters can participate in.”

The morning’s fun and festivities for the younger set will wind up with a costume contest and awards at 10:15 a.m., so Nimmer encourages all the fairy princesses, fearsome pirates, superheroes and heroines and other fantastical characters to show up and vie for a prize in the park next Saturday.

“We are so excited about this year’s event, and the bonus opportunity for our participants to get tickets and discount coupons. We really appreciate all of our sponsors and walkers/runners, and look forward to seeing everyone downtown on April 14.”