Running for HIS Purpose Freedom 5k and Fun Run

Back for its third year and with a fun new theme! On May 4th, come out and show your support dressed as your favorite Star Wars character as we run to “defeat the darkness” and break the addiction chain. We will defeat the darkness by being light in this community! 

All events start and finish at the City of Lights Dream Center and are out-and-back along the Horse Creek Trail in Dora, AL. Runners and walkers of all paces are welcome and encouraged to participate! 

NOTE: You must register by April 27th to be guaranteed a T-shirt! 

There will be Serve Day at City of Lights Dream Center that day going on during the event. This will give all runners and spectactors a chance to serve and help if they would like, and be able to tour the facility. Great opportunity to see what goes on at City of Lights Dream Center and what’s happening next. They will be working on the new rehab center at the facility and this will give everyone an opportunity to personally help woth this new project and in making a difference. 

CANCELLATION STATEMENT: This event will occur rain or shine, hot or cold. We reserve the right to cancel in extreme circumstances. In that event, there will be no refunds. Entry fees will be considered a donation to City of Lights Dream Center of Walker County and Running for His Purpose. 

This event will help bring awareness to the addiction issues in Walker County and help benefit the City of Lights Dream Center of Walker County. 
The City of Lights Dream Center of Walker County opened it's doors in the Fall of 2018, with a mission to help others continue on to their God given purpose by furthering education, addressing the poverty issues in Walker County, and empowering the community in hopes of a brighter future. You may CLICK HERE to donate to City of Lights Dream Center of Walker County. Check out their website at www.cityoflightsala.com

The purpose of this race is to bring awareness to the addiction issues that touch so many lives and families. Together we can make a difference and break the chain of addiction. Addiction comes in all forms. We first think of drugs and alcohol, but addiction can also be anything that keeps us bound from fulfilling God's purpose for our lives. Example: fear, anxiety, doubt, condemnation, depression, etc. Together we can break the chain of addiction that has so many bound and make a difference in this world by shining God's light. 

"I want to touch briefly on what this cause means personally to me.  We all have a family member or someone we know thats fighting addiction whether it be drugs, alcohol, etc.

This affects not just the person battling addiction, it affects everyone around them! After losing my oldest sister Stephanie on June 23rd, 2016 from 15+years of fighting an addiction..God knew this was something bigger than her, so he called her home, in return lives would be CHANGED and for HIS glory to shine through all this.

She died from an aneurysm and stroke which was caused from years of drug abuse.

We were always worried about getting that phone call and she could have died any other way, but God gave us that time as a family to get to be with her until her last breath, a time I'll cherish forever. As hard as it was, God gave me such peace knowing that his hand was over all this and she would finally be free, suffering no more. That something good was going to come from this.

I didn't understand at the time why God couldn't save her here with us, but God's ways are higher than ours. Isaiah 55:9
He knew this story would CHANGE lives and he called me to share it!!

I knew I wanted to do something to help in this area, but didn't know where to start.

What the enemy means for evil, God uses it for our good!  God is up to something BIG! 

I'm doing this for my sister Stephanie and for all lives that are affected by this disease because yes it is a disease, I've seen it firsthand!

It puts a strain on families and their relationships. This is more than just a race, this is a race to help bring FREEDOM to so many families affected by this as well as get healthy!!!" 

Jessica Harden, Running For HIS Purpose 

Let's us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1