November 7, 2017
Erick Spong
In commemorating Veterans’ Day, UCCS will host a week of events to honor student veterans on campus. Off campus, students will still have a chance to get involved in observing the holiday.
Leave Your Mark Events will host the Celebrate Our Veterans 5k on Nov. 11, Veterans’ Day, at 9 a.m. in Monument Valley Park. The race is the final event in the Office of Veteran and Military Student Affairs’ Veterans Week from Nov. 6 – 11.
The event, which will be held regardless of the weather conditions, is open to people of all ages and abilities. Runners will start at Monument Valley Park North, 1794-1818 Culebra Ave. Packet pickup will take place at Colorado Running Company on 5262 N. Nevada Ave from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m on Nov. 10.
According to Michael Pharis, owner of LYMEvents, over 125 people are expected to participate in the race.
“We want to celebrate our vets and let them know that they are appreciated,” said Pharis.
Proceeds will go toward the Colorado Veterans Resource Coalition – Crawford House, which provides emergency housing for veterans in the Colorado Springs-area. The organization has served 28,192 homeless veterans since 2001, according to their website.
“We always have a local nonprofit/charity that we support. We are very happy to bring in the Crawford House this year. They have a very positive impact on our local community and have a great track record,” said Pharis.
Jerome Ford, program director at the Crawford House, believes that it is vital to help veterans that have contributed to our country.
According to Ford, he and his team of veterans and their spouses make sure that the people staying at the Crawford House’ facilities have the resources and support needed to get back on their feet.
“The ultimate goal of the program at the Crawford House is to help veterans attain permanent employment and housing stability through the attainment of permanent housing,” said Ford.
For more information on Veterans Week, visit uccs.edu/military/veterans-week-2017.html. To participate in the race, visit runningguru.com/E1.asp?eID=27674.