THE Digicel Foundation on Tuesday launched the fourth annual staging of its 5K Run/Walk on the right foot with a boot camp at the Emancipation Park in New Kingston.

Led by fitness expert and former beauty queen, Kamila McDonald, the event saw over 100 participants kick-starting their preparations for the 5K Run/Walk, which will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2015 in the historic streets of downtown Kingston.

Speaking at the launch, Director of the Digicel Foundation Samantha Chantrelle said, “As a Jamaican company, we support our very own. Jamaica’s special needs community is especially deserving of all our help as they represent the spirit of Jamaica in its truest form. We overcome our challenges and we are extraordinary on the world stage. Just look at the excellent performance of the Special Olympics team in Los Angeles earlier this year!”

She further explained that the theme of this year’s event, dubbed ‘The Imagine Run’, was inspired by Digicel’s ‘Dream…Believe…Achieve’ campaign, which was designed to show the company’s support for its sporting brand ambassadors and the Special Olympics Jamaica team.

“Just like everyone else, the persons in our special needs community have dreams that they want to fulfil. We want to help them to believe in themselves and get the resources they need to achieve their dreams and make their country proud. That’s what ‘The Imagine Run’ is all about,” Chantrelle declared.

With the addition of a ‘fun’ element to its annual 5K race, the Digicel Foundation is targeting 10,000 participants with this year’s 5K Imagine Run/Walk, which will include pillow fights, neon lights and other interesting diversions. Participants can complete their registration online at unningeventsja.com and enjoy an early bird rate of $1,000 until September 10, 2015, or pay $1,500 thereafter. Registration will close on September 28.

In 2014, the Digicel 5K Run/Walk raised $6.9m and benefited a number of special needs organisations across Jamaica. This included 12 schools and a number of other organisations supported by the Digicel Foundation and was used to improve and build facilities, build awareness and increase outreach for those in need. Additionally, the funds raised also went towards providing scholarships for special needs students who are unable to meet their tuition requirements.