By Dio Alexander | Lynnwood Times Contributor
It’s that time of year again; that most wonderful time of the year when you can shamelessly wear your ugly holiday sweater to your loved ones’ collective chagrin or go for a run, breathing in that crisp, chilly autumn air.
Actually, you can do both this year, because the Edmonds Police Foundation and Support 7’s Annual 5k Holiday Dash will be Saturday, November 28.
Like previous years, the 5k is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. But this year’s dash does a twist. Unlike previous years, due to COVID-19 concerns and restrictions on large gatherings, this year’s run will not be in-person.
Participants have until December 31st to utilize the same courses as years past or make their own route. Each is encouraged to share photos of their run along with the completed time on social media.
Participants can register online and will receive a commemorative running bib by mail.
The Edmonds Police Foundation has held the annual dash since 2015. Originally called Dash and Dine, it has since changed to Holiday Dash 5k. The EPF was founded in 1996 to support officers and create partnerships between police and community members via outreach programs and public events.
The Holiday Dash’s goal is to fund “equipment and provide educational opportunities for the officers that the City of Edmonds budget could not support,” the EPF told the Lynnwood Times.
The EPF praised Support 7 for being a “huge blessing” to South Snohomish County by helping those “in deep crisis.”
“It is our joy and honor to include them in our annual fundraiser this year and hopefully with the support of our community we can make this event bigger and better than ever while keeping our neighbors safe,” the EPF said in a statement to the Lynnwood Times.
Support 7 is a 501 (c3) non-profit that has partnered with the Southwest Snohomish County community and its fire and police agencies since 1981 to provide a 24/7 private gathering place for victims and survivors at on-scene events of crisis, according to a press release.
Like many other non-profits, Support 7 was hit hard by COVID-19 restrictions and had to look for other avenues to fundraise to support organizational goals and provide services, according to Executive Director Shannon Sessions.
That’s where the EPF came in.
This year is the first time EPF partnered with Support 7 to sponsor the Holiday Dash 5k. Sessions said that Support 7 and the EPF have worked together in the past but have never done a joint fundraiser.
The EPF reached out to Support 7 and said that they would have to change the 5k into a virtual event as other organizations have done and if Support 7 would like to be a part of it.
The answer was a resoundingly hearty yes.
“We are so grateful to the Edmonds Police Department for even thinking of us because of our needs and the critical work we do,” Sessions told the Lynnwood Times.
“They’ve been gracious with their time and energy,” Sessions said. “Now we get to be a part of it.”
All proceeds from the dash go towards the Edmonds Police Foundation and Support 7.
To register for the Virtual 5K Holiday Dash and/or for more information about the event and/or both organizations go to one of their websites: www.edmondspolicefoundation.org and www.support7.org
