With anticipation building around the upcoming Digicel Foundation 5K Night Run/Walk, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has pledged its full support to the initiative, which will see its presence being felt in more ways than one on Saturday, October 20, 2012 in downtown, Kingston.

In fulfilling its mission to serve, protect and reassure; the JCF has said that, “The Force is committed to securing the Digicel Foundation 5K Night Run/Walk on October 20th.” In its release, the JCF is also encouraging the general public to participate in the worthy initiative.

In the meantime, a lot of the members of the Constabulary Force have also been registering to participate in the run/walk to play their role in supporting the cause of raising well-needed funds for Jamaica’s special needs community.

Samantha Chantrelle, executive director of the Digicel Foundation, explained that in addition to the physical presence of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, there will be a strong contingent of race marshals, plus secured parking for the event. “We understand that with this being Jamaica’s first ever night run/walk, participants want to know that all the right measures are in place for their comfort and peace of mind. As such, we’re working with the communities of downtown Kingston and the police to ensure that the entire route — beginning and ending at our global headquarters on Ocean Boulevard — will be well lit and fully secured.”

Speaking on the decision to host the run/walk in downtown Kingston, Samantha added that, “Though downtown Kingston is our home now, Digicel and the Digicel Foundation have been involved with the communities there for a number of years now. It’s all about taking back the night helping to return the city to the vibrant nucleus it once was. We are delighted to have the support of the communities in hosting a successful run/walk for a worthy cause”.

Just two days ago, the Digicel Foundation assisted the 54 children from Denham Town who lost all their possessions in a fire last week. These children have been provided with school supplies, including books, pencils, bags and water bottles. This was done in conjunction with the Area 4 Police Headquarters, Digicel’s downtown neighbours.

Registration for the Digicel Foundation 5K Walk/Run opened on August 30 and closes on Friday, September 28. Interested persons can register online at www.runningeventsja.com for a fee of $1,000 for individuals and $900 per person for teams of 50 or more persons. Entry payments can also be made online at www.runningeventsja.com via credit card or to NCB account number at 10 445 5336 at any branch of National Commercial Bank.

All proceeds from the Digicel Foundation 5K Night Run/Walk will go to support the continued growth and development of eight of Jamaica’s special needs schools and associations. These are the Jamaica Association for the Deaf, Jamaica Society for the Blind, Jamaica Autism Support Association (JASA), Jamaica Association on Intellectual Disabilities (JAID), the STEP Centre (School for Therapy Education and Parenting of children with multiple disabilities), NAZ Children’s Centre (Montego Bay), Randolph Lopez School of Hope, and the Mustard Seed Communities.