The Great Western Freedom 4 Run will add a Kids Dash and Diaper Dash to this year’s July 4 event that benefits Lazarus House in St. Charles.

This is the 10^th annual Great Western Freedom 4 Run & Walk, held at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, and the Kids Dash & Diaper Dash are sponsored and hosted by Hosanna! Lutheran Church and Preschool.

No pre-registration is being offered for the dashes, just show up on July 4 and visit the Hosanna tent at Leroy Oakes Forest Preserve to register your child. Registration will open at 6:30 a.m. and will run through 8:45 a.m. for the children’s event. A $5 donation to Lazarus House per child is requested.

Diaper Dashes will start at 9:15 a.m. with the age category dashes immediately following. First-, second- and third-place awards will be issued by age categories, and all children will receive a participation gift. Thrivent T-shirts will be handed out to the first 25 registered children.

Registration is open for runners and walkers who wish to participate in the 2016 July 4 Great Western Freedom 4 Run and Walk at www.signmeup.com. Check in starts at 6:30 a.m. for runners and walkers with the race starting at 8 a.m. The run is a competitive 4-mile race on a USATF certified course and is part of the Fox River Trail Runners Circuit. The walk is 2 miles, suited for the whole family.

A $3 pre-registration race discount if offered to Fox River Trail, Dick Pond Fast Track, CARA, and Performance Runner members. Pre-registration for runners is $28 and the walk is $20 through July 1. Children 9 and under are free for the walk only. Event day registration is $35 for runners and $25 for walkers.

So whether you compete in the run, join the walk or cheer on your children or grandchildren in the Kids Dash, it’s bound to be an energizing morning with competition, vendors, ice cream, and holiday spirit!

All participants are encouraged to help their neighbors in need by collecting pledges, forms are available with a link from the registration web page. All proceeds benefit Lazarus House, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit Emergency Shelter, Center for Transitional Living, and Outreach Program for men, women, and children who are homeless or in crisis from Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles or western rural Kane County.

Information can be found online at www.lazarushouseonline.com on the GWF4 tab or by calling Darlene at 630-587-2144.

SOURCE: Lazarus House news release