4KIDS of South Florida BiG Cardio

4KIDS of South Florida BiG CardioOne of South Florida’s most fun and philanthropic events of the year is coming up next month. 4KIDS of South Florida’s 6th Annual BiG Cardio Fitness & Fun Day will take place Saturday, May 4 at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill. With a certified 5k run / walk as the main event, and a whole host of other fitness challenges and activities available, this event promises to be a day of fun for the whole family. Best of all, proceeds from the event will go to fund 4KIDS of South Florida’s initiatives to help kids in crisis right here in our local community.

Providing hope for the hopeless
Through programs such as foster care, adoption, crisis shelters, orphan advocacy and awareness and more, 4KIDS of South Florida has been caring for our community’s neglected, abandoned and abused children for over 15 years. 4KIDS has been privileged to meet the needs of over 17,000 South Florida children since its inception in 1997. The organization has also been used as a national model for how the government and the church can partner together to impact the lives of children in crisis. Executive Director Tom Lukasik shares, “4KIDS has been called the model for faith-based foster care by Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, Jed Medefind. Additionally, 4KIDS has had the honor of sharing our great successes of bringing the church and state together to care for the modern day orphan at the White House, in our State Capital and to other organizations across the nation.”

Big goal for a big need
With the need to help hurting kids more pressing than ever, 4KIDS is hoping to raise $400,000 from this year’s BiG Cardio event. Several big-name sponsors such as Walgreens, Publix and Starbucks, are proud to partner with 4KIDS to see this goal become a reality. Walgreens Community Leader, Dan Espinosa says, “Walgreens firmly believes in and stands behind [4KIDS’] mission of “Providing Hope for Kids in Crisis,” and we partner together beautifully in bringing health, fitness and wellness to the community in their BiG Cardio Event.” Still other corporate sponsors, such as Publix, have been involved for some years. “Publix has been a proud supporter of 4KIDS for several years. We feel it is very important to support our community, specifically children in the foster care system and the kids who have aged out. Publix is thrilled to continue to partner with 4KIDS for years to come,” expresses Kim Reynolds, Publix Media and Community Relations Manager. 4KIDS Business Development Director Joyce Feldman, who heads up the BiG Cardio event each year shares, “The abuse we see on a daily basis is gut-wrenching. Honestly it brings tears to my eyes and makes me shudder. We’re very thankful to the community and for our sponsors who embrace our mission of providing for these children…they understand why participating in this event is so important.” Additional sponsors of the event include Global Tower Partners and Diagnostic Professionals, Inc., among many others.

Apart from corporate sponsorships, funds are raised primarily through individuals and businesses that create teams and fundraise collectively for the event. For the past few years, local man Mez Pierre – who is a former recipient of 4KIDS help and one of the organization’s greatest advocates – has had the team to beat. This year, Pierre’s team, Team Hope, has a goal of raising $20,000 to directly impact kids in crisis.
Interested individuals or corporations can quickly and easily form their own team by visiting bigcardio.org. Teams are fun and competitive, and they help increase the awareness of kids in crisis in our community.

A day of fun, fitness and impact
BiG Cardio 2013 is much more than your average 5k run / walk. The event also includes a big cardio and Zumba class, CrossFit and obstacle course, cycling, and a class just for kids; adults sports tournaments such as Basketball, Flag Football, Soccer, Volleyball and Kickball, too; a free FunZone with a bungee area, a rock climbing wall, bounce houses, and miniature rides for kids; and plenty of concessions including local food trucks. Dozens of local businesses and ministries will also be on hand, featuring interactive and informative activities, presentations and contests at their respective vendor booths.

Awards will be presented for the winners of each competitive activity, and all attendees will have an opportunity to hear from and meet 4KIDS leaders and staff to hear more about what God is doing in and through the ministry of 4KIDS.

You won’t want to miss this day of fun for the whole family; all for the worthy cause of helping 4KIDS provide hope to the modern-day orphan through their foster care, residential and non-residential programs. Be sure to visit bigcardio.org to learn more about the May 4 event, as well as 4kidsofsfl.org to become familiar with the incredible work that 4KIDS of South Florida is doing every day in our local community.

Share this article

Comments