Temescal Gateway Park was home to the ninth annual Hike-a-Thon & Family Fun Day on Sunday, November 3, in support of children in foster care.
The event brought multiple attractions to the park, including music, games, a petting zoo and yoga warm-up stretch with Mary Beth LaRue, according to event organizers.
Sponsored by Cafe Vida, In-N-Out and Wexler’s Deli, hikers were well fed after a day of hiking.
From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., around 500 hikers hit the trail to support the organization that was founded in 1993 by Palisadian Pepper Edmiston in honor of her son, David.
When David’s sister, Susan Abrams, took over operations in 2009, the program began offering overnight summer camps and “year-round educational and outdoor adventures for boys and girls in foster care.”
The event was part of an effort to raise $75,000 to send an additional 150 children to summer camp, as Happy Trails Board Chair Jon Abrams also announced that the Salter Family Foundation will contribute $250,000 toward a permanent campsite.
“Happy Trails for Kids provides our campers with new experiences, lifelong friendships, important role models and a loving community that every child deserves,” said Lindsay Elliott, executive director, in a statement.
“We have hundreds of children on our waiting list because of limited space. We are incredibly grateful for the support of everybody who participated in the Hike-a-Thon to help our program grow.”
For more information on the organization or to donate, visit happytrailsforkids.org.
