Sponsorship opportunities and early registration still available
FORT MYERS, Fla. (Aug. 30, 2016) – A number of local businesses and organizations have signed on to sponsor this year’s Cops & Joggers 5K and Family Fun Night to be held on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 5 to 10 p.m. at Centennial Park, located at 2000 West First Street in downtown Fort Myers.
Sponsors for the annual event include Mission BBQ, Fort Myers Brewing Company, Florida Security & Firearms Training, Inc., jetBlue Airways, Survivor Armor, Scanlon Auto Group, Seductions, Bagel Factory, Garden Street Portables, Edison National Bank, LCEC and more.
Sponsorship opportunities for the event are still available from $250 to $1,000 and should be reserved no later than Thursday, Sept. 8. For more information about sponsorships or to become a sponsor, contact Denise Egolf at degolf@fmpolice.com or 239-321-7723.
Benefiting fallen first responders, the 3.1-mile race begins at 7:45 p.m. with the glow of first responders’ lights lining the race path, which begins and ends at Centennial Park and crosses the Edison Bridge. The family event will also include music, food vendors, emergency equipment displays, and a children’s fun area with bounce houses, a dunk tank, SWAT obstacle courses and more.
Interested joggers may obtain more information and register online with the Fort Myers Track Club at www.ftmyerstrackclub.com. The discounted, early registration fee is $25 per adult and $15 per youth, 17 years old or younger, on or before Oct. 6. Fees increase to $30 per person for all participants on Oct. 7 and $35 per person for all participants on Oct. 8.
Last year’s event hit a new record of 960 registered joggers and raised more than $20,000 for local first responders who have been injured or killed in the line of duty.
“We’ve experienced consistent growth in the number of race participants in the last few years and are grateful for returning joggers who support our cause year after year,” said Lt. Jeffrey Bernice of the FMPD. “We hope to reach our new goal of 1,000 registered joggers this year and encourage families and groups, including organizations and clubs, to join in on the fun in achieving that goal.”
The event will provide only 700 goodie bags with T-shirts and distribute them in conjunction with the race packet pick-up day beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 7 at Run Florida, located at 13101 McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers. Whatever is leftover will be available on the day of the event. Once the first 700 race packets are distributed, there will be no additional goodie bags and T-shirts available. Shirt sizes vary and are not guaranteed.
The race committee will present the top three runners and walkers in their age group with custom-made Cops & Joggers race medals that feature the front of a police car with flashing emergency lights.
The Fort Myers Cops & Joggers 5K was established in 2008 to assist the family of Officer Andrew Widman who was shot and killed in the line of duty on July 18, 2008. Proceeds from the event now benefit the FMPD Fallen Officers Memorial Fund and The Brotherhood Ride, nonprofit organizations that aid the families of first responders who have been injured or killed in the line of duty, including law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel.
For more information about the event, contact Lt. Bernice at 239-321-7698 or jbernice@fmpolice.com.
