Get ready to get healthy and help a good cause, Wichita. On Sept. 7, please take part in the Race for Freedom 5K to help stop human trafficking in our city.

This is the second annual 5K-race and will be held at 8:30 a.m. The start/finish line is at Carpenter Place, 1501 North Meridian Avenue.

The course will be a flat, fast course through the Indian Hills area. Runners will travel half a mile on the bike path by the river.

There will be prize money for the first, second, and third place male and female finishers. Anyone who preregisters before August 27 will receive a t-shirt, and all finalists will receive custom medals. Awards for participants over 80 years old will also be given out.

After the 5K, which is open to runners and walkers alike, the Family Fun Run will be held at 10 a.m. This is a 1/2K run around the Carpenter Place Campus.

At 10:30, the awards ceremony and pancake breakfast will be held. Pancakes are free to all runners and are only five dollars per plate for all family, friends, and spectators.

The Race for Freedom 5K is sponsored by the ICT S.O.S. This organization acts as a liaison between professional groups, such as Street Outreach, EMCU, and Youthville, that work with trafficked youth and the Wichita volunteers seeking ways to find solutions to the problem.

Human trafficking is a problem all across the globe, and unfortunately, Wichita, Kansas, isn’t immune. We encourage you and your friends, family, and coworkers to participate in the Race for Freedom 5K by walking, running, volunteering, or donating. Any way you can get involved will help create real and lasting change in Kansas.

Let’s get healthy and support a great cause, Wichita!