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Photo by Erin Nelson.
The inaugural Mountain Brook Fraternal Order ofPolice 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run will be Feb. 22.
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Fraternal Order of Police 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run information.
A new 5K will draw runners and walkers to the city’s streets this month.
The Mountain Brook Fraternal Order of Police 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run is set for Saturday, Feb. 22, in Crestline Village. The 5K starts at 9 a.m. and will be followed by the mile at 9:30 a.m.
Glen White, a school resource officer at Crestline Elementary who has been with the Mountain Brook Police Department for 13 years, is in charge of organizing the event.
He said race proceeds will benefit the local Fraternal Order of Police chapter, which supports officers, and The WellHouse, a nonprofit that helps human trafficking victims.
“We’re familiar with working the races,” White said, “and we decided a way we can raise funds for our Fraternal Order was through a 5K.”
The 5K will follow the “Knights of Columbus” route, starting near Crestline Elementary School, fl owing onto Fairway Drive, looping back toward Crestline Village on Country Club Boulevard and circling through Crestline Heights on Vine Street, Dexter Avenue, West Montcrest Drive, Jackson Boulevard and Elm Street.
White said the course has been certified in the past but is not currently.
“We’d like the community just to support the law enforcement community and to have fun while they’re doing it,” White said.
Registration is $30 and can be completed on runsignup.com, as well as in person on race day. White said a T-shirt will be included with registration, and awards will be given to the top finishers. No fundraising goal has been set for the race, White said, but he is hoping for a strong turnout.
With this being the inaugural event, “we’re just trying to see how this works out and how we can build on it,” he said.
According to the Fraternal Order of Police national website, it is the world’s largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers and is the voice of those who dedicate their lives to protecting and serving communities. The Fraternal Order of Police is committed to improving the working conditions of law enforcement officers and the safety of those they serve through education, legislation, information, community involvement and employee representation.
White said many MBPD police officers are members of the organization.
“We appreciate the Mountain Brook community coming out and supporting us,” White said. “We love our community and what they’ve done, and we want to always give back whenever we can.”
White said he and other organizers chose the race as a vehicle to raise money for The WellHouse. According to its website, The WellHouse provides a safe residential environment to women, offering spiritual, mental, emotional and physical support services to those who have been sexually exploited through human trafficking.
In December, Mountain Brook became Alabama’s second city to declare itself a “Human TraffickingFree Zone.” Municipalities across the area are making the same declaration ahead of the 2021 World Games, which are expected to attract human traffickers to Birmingham. In a press release issued at the time of declaration, Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch said his city takes human trafficking “very seriously” and vows “to train our entire city staff, including first responders, to ensure that our children are safe and that our community is informed about human trafficking and what to do if they suspect a case of human trafficking.”
