Run or walk for charity this September

Check out details for these two charity events for runners and walkers scheduled in Hoover in September.

HEAD OVER TEAL 5K/10K & FAMILY FALL FESTIVAL

The 10th annual Head Over Teal 5K, 10K and Family Fall Festival is scheduled for Sept. 21 in The Preserve subdivision.

The event is a fundraiser for the Laura Crandall Brown Foundation, which increases awareness of gynecologic cancers, funds research for early detection and provides support for women battling those forms of the disease.

Last year’s Head Over Teal event involved 837 registered runners and close to 1,000 people in attendance and raised more than $65,000 for the foundation, Executive Director Mary Anne King said.

The event has always included a 5K but three years ago added a 10K. Both races start at 8 a.m. The fall festival includes games, children’s inflatables, face painting, pumpkin decorating, crafts, vendors and more.

Early registration costs $40 for the 5K and $45 for the 10K, but runners who register as a team of at least five runners can pay $35 per person for the 5K and $40 per person for the 10K. The price increases $5 on Sept. 9.

Children ages 13 and younger who want a T-shirt and bib with a timing chip can register for $20. Those who don’t want a T-shirt and bib with a timing chip do not have to register to run but must stay with a parent while on the course.

A registration link is online at thinkoflaura.org/headoverteal, but online registration includes a $3 processing fee. To avoid that fee, print the registration form and mail it in with a check.

There is limited parking in The Preserve, so organizers encourage people to park at Prince of Peace Catholic Church and take shuttles that are scheduled to run every 10-15 minutes.

ARM-IN-ARM FUN WALK

The Arm-in-Arm Fun Walk, benefiting the Southeastern Blind Rehabilitation Center Alumni Association, returns to Veterans Park in Hoover on Sept. 28.

Community members are invited to come walk up to a mile with a blind veteran or with other supporters of the rehab center, which is run by the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

The 28-bed rehab center offers blind veterans training in daily living activities, communication, computer access, mobility and visual skills, and provides medical, therapeutic and psychological services for blind veterans.

Registration for the walk costs $25, with proceeds being used to pay for things that public money doesn’t cover, said Mike Pistacchio, a blind veteran who is president of the rehab center’s alumni association. Money raised in the past has covered items such as a refrigerator, washer and dryer, he said.

Some participants in the walk are paired with blind veterans, while others simply walk in support of the veterans, Pistacchio said. About 35 to 40 people participated last year, he said.

Registration starts at 8:30 a.m., and the walk begins at 9:30 a.m. For more information, contact Pistacchio at 253-677-2089.