Safety First Pediaquatics, a St. Cloud group working to eradicate childhood drowning, held its inaugural Drowning Awareness 5K Run at the St. Cloud Lakefront Saturday. Over 130 runners and walkers of all ages participated and made the jogging path along Lakeshore Boulevard awash in purple.
Health and wellness vendors were on hand along with the Osceola County Sheriffs Office, all in the name of bringing awareness to childhood drowning and help raise funds for the Lifeguardians for scholarships for families who cannot afford swim lessons for their children.
“It’s been a really great morning,” said Rebecca Bond Abele, the co-founder and lead instructor for Safety First Pediaquatics in St. Cloud, as Saturday’s race wrapped up. “It takes a blink of an eye for a parent’s life to change forever. We’re trying to build a safer community with a mission of seeing not one more child drowning.
And, Abele already has ideas for next year, making the 5K part of a bigger family event, with a farmer’s market so families can run the event, purchase fresh food then take it home and cook out while spending time together.
