Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 9, 1 September 1987 — McGruff 8K Fun Run to Benefit Children [ARTICLE]

McGruff 8K Fun Run to Benefit Children

The first annua! McGruff 8K Fun Run, staged as a benefit for the year-old McGruff Elementary School Crime Prevention Puppet Program is scheduled for 7 aim., Sunday, Oct. 11. The event is sponsored by the Hawaii Criminal Justice Commission. The McGruff program teaches children about such topics as drug and aleohol abuse, chi!d abduction and molestation, traffic and fire safety, vandalism and shopliftinq.

Children as well as adults are encouraged to participate in the fun run that will start at Kapiolani Park and circle through Fort Ruger's "T riangle Park" and back to the Kapiolani Park finish line. Neighbor island trips via Aloha Airlines, accommodations at one of the Hawaiian Pacific Resorts and use of a Budget Rent-A-Car will be awarded the top adult race finishers and the person who collects the most pledge money. The first children to finish will receive record albums or mini-McGruff puppets.

There will be drawings for prizes such as telephones from Hawaiian Telephone, telephone long distance gift certificates from AT&T, small appliances from Hawaiian Electric, food/restaurant certificates from Dave's iee Cream, Harpo's, Jack-in-the-Box and other valuable prizes. Island entertainers will also be on stage at the Kapiolani Park Bandstand from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and families ean make it a day and enjoy pienie lunches in the park. Deadline for entries is Sept. 25. Applications are available at running shops, sporting good stores, military bases, athletic clubs and by calling the Hawaii Criminal Justice Commission at 548-6714.

The commission brought the McGruff program to Hawaii last year and implemented it in 10 schools in the state. It hopes to put the program in another 50 to 70 schools this year. The program was endorsed by the State Board of Education in August, 1986.