Schools, district attorney, businesses sponsoring Rockwall “Race To End Abuse” 5K/Walk, Oct. 31

Announcing…the first annual Lillan Smith Rockwall “Race to End Abuse” 5K/family fitness walk, Oct. 10, 8-10 am, at the Kroger southside parking lot in Rockwall TX (map).

This USATF-sanctioned event will begin with warm-up exercises at 7:45 am, followed by the 5K race (3.1 miles) at 8 am and the one-mile family fitness walk at 8:30 am. 

Over 500 participants are expected to either run 1.5+ miles up to Summer Lee Dr., behind Presbyterian Hospital, past Fox Chase Park, up Tubbs Rd. and then the 1.5+ miles back. Walkers will walk one mile to Fox Chase Park and back.

Pre-race warm-up exercises will be conducted by Race sponsor Rockwall Running Center. Plenty of free water, drinks, fruit, snacks, music and family fun will be provided before, during and after the Race and Walk.

Pre-registration is available online for a $5 discount at Active.com, where the advance discount fee is $25 per adult, $20 each for two adults per family and $15 for children under 13. There’s also a special family discount price of $50 for three or more members.

Title sponsor is Heritage Christian Academy. Presenting sponsor is Walmart. Host sponsor is Kroger. Other sponsors include Rockwall ISD, Rockwall County District Attorney Kenda Culpepper, Presbyterian Hospital of Rockwall, Eclipse Fitness Center, Lady of America Fitness Centers, Rockwall Running Center, Taco Casa, Joe Willy’s…with many more to come.

Hosted by the Lillian Smith Family Violence Foundation, this will be the first in a series of many 5K races/walks across DFW designed to raise awareness and funds for our prevention-oriented public information campaigns to help bring an end to domestic, dating, child and pet abuse across Rockwall County and the Metoplex.

We plan to literally follow in the footsteps of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation which, through it’s 5K races and other events, has raised and invested over $1 billion since 1982 for breast cancer research aimed at eradicating the disease.

The Race to End Abuse will also be the first of many additional events we intend to launch – including talent shows, art shows, shopping discounts, etc. – as we establish chapters across DFW, Texas and the nation.

For more information, visit the Lillian Smith Family Violence Foundation or call Founder & President J.J. Smith, 972-900-7575.

Three Rockwall girls agree to start teen dating violence prevention program at Rockwall H.S.

Three Rockwall girls have agreed to work with us to create a “peer group” teen dating violence prevention and reduction program at Rockwall High School. This is great news since research proves that most teens are much more likely to speak with other teens about their problems than with adults.

I met with junior-class students Kristen, Priscilla and Ashley this afternoon at Kristen’s home with her father, Mike and mother, Becky.

Kristen and Becky attended a dating violence program last November which I’d scheduled in Rockwall, and said they desired to help with what they confirmed is a very serious problem here among high school age teens.

Starting next week, I’ll begin teaching the girls and parents about existing  resources which have been established to help stop the dating violence epidemic raging out of control across Texas and the U.S.

Research conducted by the Texas Council On Family Violence in 2006 revealed that a staggering 75 percent of 16 to 24-year old Texans either have been personally involved in dating violence, or know someone who has! Fifty percent either currently are or have been personally involved in dating abuse!

Once the girls find a teacher who will agree to become a sponsor of their “Club,” we’ll teach the girls what to say to their peers, which referral sources to use and how to begin an awareness  campaign. We all hope that many more teens will also become involved.

Within a short time, we hope to have teens speaking publicly at meetings across Rockwall County and perhaps beyond.  We’ve already started signing up community campaign partners, including Walmart, Presbyterian Hospital of Rockwall and Butler Plumbing.