A fundraiser for a nonprofit Portland-based organization dedicated to empowering communities in Africa is set for late September at nearby Champeog State Heritage Area.
The African Road Family Festival will begin with a kids 5K run/walk at 11 a.m. and an adult 5K run at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 29, both that start at the Riverside Pavilion and meander through an out-and-back course of paved bike paths and park roads back to the pavilion. Once registered for the event at tinyurl.com/2s3u9cbk , participants are encouraged to raise money (either individually or as a team) for the nonprofit.
Once the run is completed, the festivities will ensue at noon, including a tour of the African Road Learning Stations, markets, a silent auction, live music, lawn games, food and drink and, just maybe, an opportunity to play soccer with Steven Turikunkiko, a Rwandan man described in African Road literature as a “changemaker: a grassroots leader transforming their community from the ground up” and a leader in the Togetherness Cooperative.