(Spencer)– An annual fun run that benefits the Spencer Police Department’s DARE and School Resource Officer programs is going virtual this year. Officer Kyle Van Oterloo of the Spencer Police Department says the virtual fun run will be held August 1st…
“It’s still the first Saturday in August like we have done for the last seven years. This time you just don’t have to show up at 8:00. In fact you can do it from your own home, you can do it from where ever the heck you want, just to show that your supporting the kids here in Spencer, Iowa.”
Van Oterloo notes the DARE program has grown to include more than educating youth about the dangers of drugs and alcohol…
“We know that there are kids who will never run into the temptation of drugs, alcohol or tobacco, which is awesome. But they may have the temptation to pick on somebody; they may have the temptation to steal something, and what comes out of these ten lessons here is kind of, well it’s tools on a tool belt that they get to take with them to help them out in really any life situation which before, like you just said, DARE was more geared for just drugs and alcohol. There’s more problems than just drugs and alcohol. Those are bad, but there’s other situations that these kids can run into.”
You can sign up for the virtual fun run by clicking on the events tab at the Spencer Police Department’s Facebook page. The deadline to sign up is July 12th. And the event isn’t limited to just running. Officer Darin Hanson says you can also share photos of you enjoying your favorite hobbies such as kayaking, hiking, gardening and so on…
“The majority of people either have Facebook or Instagram. Upload their pictures there and use the hashtag of spd fun run 2020 so we can start seeing some of those pictures of what people are doing to show their support of the kids.”
Participants will also receive a t-shirt. Van Oterloo says they’re working out details on how they will be distributed.
