IOWA HIKES FOR KIDSAVE KIDS

5K Hike Funds Program to Find Forever Families for Older Orphans

Des Moines-area families will have the chance April 23 to get some exercise and have some fun in support of Iowa Kidsave, an organization that matches orphan children with loving Iowa homes.

Hike Details:

1-3 p.m. Sunday April 23

Raccoon River Park 2500 Grand Ave. West Des Moines

1 p.m. Registration

1:30 p.m. Opening Ceremony/Keynote Speaker Wendy Rains, adoptive mom and child advocate

2-3 p.m. 5K Hike around the Raccoon River Park Trail Loop

Registration Fee: $25 per person/$50 family cap. (After April 16, $30/$60)

Register at www.kidsave.org/events/iowa-hike-for-kidsave.

Prizes, including a staycation package with hotel and activities, will be awarded to top fundraisers. Contact John Erikson for information on setting up a sponsorship page.

Iowa Kidsave is the local chapter of a national organization seeking to get children worldwide out of orphanages and foster care and into permanent families. In Iowa, the Kidsave Summer Miracles Program brings Colombian children, ages 11-14, to central Iowa for four weeks in July to meet potential parents through an orphan hosting program.

Local organizers Karen and John Erikson are passionate about Kidsave for a very personal reason – their 18-year-old daughter, adopted in 2013.

“Meeting our daughter Luz through Kidsave has impacted Luz, our marriage, our family, and our community in a powerful, beautiful way,” they said. “This is too important not to share.”

Check out the Eriksons’ story and Luz’ description of her transition from a Colombian orphanage to her forever family in Polk City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQsM–EZN6U

Kidsave is a 501c3 charitable organization. The Iowa Kidsave Summer Miracles Program is currently seeking host families for July. To learn more, visit www.kidsave.org.