WS Chronicle

Once again, El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services will host the El Buen Camino 5K race and one-mile walk. Participants will gather on Saturday, April 5 at 9 a.m. on the campus of Wake Forest University. This event is open to all runners, walkers and health enthusiasts who would like to raise awareness about healthy lifestyle choices.

The registration fee is $25 for the 5K or $30 the day of the race. A new one-mile walk option has been added this year in an effort to include more families. For adult walkers, the registration fee is $20. Each adult walker may be accompanied by up to two children between the ages of eight and 12 for $5 per child. Registration for the race is available via http://www.Active.com.

Thanks to a generous grant from Wake Forest Baptist Health, all registration proceeds will support the work of the nonprofit El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services and El Buen Pastor Presbyterian Church. The event is the culmination of community events and walking/running groups that have brought Latino families together with the wider Winston-Salem community to practice and discuss the benefits of exercise and healthy eating habits.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2012, Hispanic men and women 18 and older were twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to be obese. In a 2010 survey, 60 percent of Hispanics over 18 years of age reported being physically inactive.

“Our hope is that this entire event will bring together communities from across Winston-Salem and inspire all participants to choose a healthy way of life,” said race director Jen Henson.

“El Buen Camino” means “the good path or the good way” and reflects the goals of El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services, which seeks to offer Latino families hope for a positive future and to build bridges between the Latino community and the greater community by facilitating cross-cultural relationships and bringing new understanding and benefits to all.

Rosa Miranda, pastor of El Buen Pastor Presbyterian Church and chair of the nonprofit agency, said, “El Buen Camino is a great example of communities working together to live an abundant life for everyone and with everyone.”

For more information, visit http://www.elbuenpastorlcs.org/ElBuenCamino5K.