PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Runners and walkers involved with Philly’s Swagga House Run Club hit the pavement every month for a great cause.
But now, they’re motivated to carry on the legacy of someone who was one of their own from the group’s beginning: Fallen father, husband, son, and Temple Police Officer Chris Fitzgerald.
“He was the change that the community needed. He was so many things other than just the runner,” said Joshua Perez, one of the founders of Swagga House Run Club.
“I want to make sure that he's honored the way that he should [be] and the way that he lived his life, which was like a hero.”
It started in 2020 after the death of Perez’s friend and fellow runner, Philadelphia Deputy Sheriff Dante Austin, in 2019. He says he met both Austin and Fitzgerald through his job at the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office, and it didn’t take long for his friendship with Fitzgerald to grow.
Related
When the group began their monthly runs, Perez says Fitzgerald, who was shot and killed Feb. 18, was involved since day one.
“Dante was my work son, but Chris became my little brother,” said Perez.
“The more I spoke with him, I was in awe. I became his mentor, but sometimes the teacher becomes the student, and that's what I had with him.”
Perez said he would call Fitzgerald after every event.
“We talked all the time, but as soon as we got done and I packed everything up and we're going, I'm like, 'Yo,' I said, 'Little bro, what did you think?'” Perez said.
“He said 'Big bro! You did it again.'”
Swagga House Run Club has group running and walking events monthly, including one that was scheduled the morning after Fitzgerald was killed in the line of duty.
Related
“I had to move forward with it because it's what Chris would have wanted, and he would have been there," said Perez. "So he wasn't there physically, but he was there in spirit. And it was one of the hardest things I had to do.”
Perez says the club will still be running through communities affected by gun violence, engaging with youth, and working to bring positive change, just like Fitzgerald would have wanted.
“I mean, he may not be here in the physical, but he is going to continue to just motivate and inspire us,” said Perez. “Just the presence and what he brought to us.”
Their next event is scheduled for March 19, and Perez hopes in the coming months they’ll host a memorial run dedicated to Fitzgerald.
Related
“The purpose and the meaning behind what we were doing was a lot greater than any obstacle that was put in front of us, and here we are, two-and-a-half years later,” said Perez.
“It's changing people's lives, just the escape and the therapeutic benefits of it. I'm going to continue to promote it, as long as I have breath in my lungs and walking God's green earth.”
Step by step, mile by mile, Perez vows the legacy will live on.