PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — After a COVID-19 pandemic hiatus, the Philadelphia Bar Association 5K Run/Walk has returned.
More than 1,000 people came to Fairmount Park Sunday morning to participate in the 43rd annual event.
Officials with the organization said they are on pace to raise $75,000 to help the Support Center for Child Advocates.
“It’s just a really fun morning for the legal community to come out and support our work,” said Cate Galbally, the center’s director of development.
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“We represent about 1,000 kids every year, so all the money raised today benefits child advocates, and our work to provide legal and social service advocacy for kids who have been abused and severely neglected.”
“Pretty extraordinary that we've been doing it each year, gathering lawyers, friends of the law and friends of children,” said Frank Cervone, the organization’s executive director.
Participants in the 5K started their journey Sunday morning at the Please Touch Museum and winded through Fairmount Park, while others competed and contributed virtually and through a special Peleton ride.
“One of the wonderful things we see is that law firms bring out their teams of corporate colleagues, associates and partners,” said Cervone.
“It's a time for them to connect with each other and to compete with other firms. It's really kind of fun. It's that playful competition that lawyers just love.”
The organization's website said that it began in 1977, six years after the Philadelphia Bar Association started the Committee on Child Abuse to help provide previously-unavailable legal services for children who had reports of child abuse filed for them.
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SCCA said that their work includes serving those children as counsel and guardian ad litem in court, with a special focus to secure support services for those kids.
They also offer programs to help with medical issues from abuse and neglect, educational advocacy in both court and school, behavioral health, and outreach in the battle against child trafficking.
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