April Fool’s Day 5K Winners Announced!
The streets of Woodbury were alive with runners of all ages last Saturday as the first annual Cannon Runs for Children 5K Run/Walk kicked off Child Abuse Prevention Month. The youngest runner was Camden Pruitt, age 7, with a time of 35:32. Kelly Kietzke was the oldest runner in the event and he placed second in the master’s category with a time of 25:33.
Eleven year old boys dominated the inaugural Cannon Runs for Children, as the following young men were winners in the overall category:
- Jonathan Fann, with a time of 22:25
- Mason Tramel, with a time of 22:27
- Gunter Pi, with a time of 22:29
In addition to Kietzke, the adult winners in the master’s category (40+ years old) included:
- Kevin Ripley, with a time of 23:47
- Jennifer Held, with a time of 27:53
- Lynn Gragg, with a time of 28:20
101 runners signed up to participate in the event. Runner’s times and awesome event photos are available on the Cannon County Child Advocacy Center website at cannoncac.org. The Child Advocacy Center is grateful to Travis Franklin for donating his services as a professional photographer at the event.
The Child Advocacy Center works as a team with the Woodbury Police Department, Cannon County Sheriff’s Department, Department of Children’s Services, and the District Attorney’s Office to respond to child abuse cases and help children and families heal from the trauma. The Department of Children’s Services protects children. Law enforcement investigates the crime and arrests the perpetrator. The District Attorney’s Office aggressively prosecutes offenders. While, the Child Advocacy Center helps abused children and their families heal from the trauma of the abuse.
The Honorable Judge Susan Melton explained the importance of the services to children, “The Cannon County Child Advocacy Center is instrumental in assisting children who are victims of sexual abuse or children who have been drug exposed by allowing them to tell their account of the story once in an environment in which they feel safe and free from any outside influence.”
Cannon County Sheriff’s Office, Woodbury Police Department, and Cannon County Ambulance Service supervised road closures and kept runners safe.
Over $5,750 was raised for the Cannon County Child Advocacy Center to provide crisis intervention services free of charge to child abuse victims. All funds raised in Cannon County stay in Cannon County and benefit child abuse victims and their non-offending family members.
“The Cannon County Child Advocacy Center is grateful to our wonderful community partners,” said event coordinator Keylon Holloway. “The event would not have been possible without the support of Experience Community Church, Preston Brothers Construction, Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Project Hometown Help, Tri-Star Title Company, Anthony’s Flowers and Gifts, Farm Bureau Insurance of Cannon County, First National Bank, Huff & Puff Trucking, Laid Back Lumber, Mitch Wilson State Farm, Assistant District Attorney General Trevor Lynch, Woodbury Funeral Home, Boyd’s Garage, Higgins Flea Market, Bernard and Nancy Coomes, United Methodist Women of Woodbury First United Methodist Church, Smith Funeral Home, Hardee’s, Piggly Wiggly, Sonic, and Subway.”
“The Child Advocacy Center wants to say a special THANK YOU to the members of the Cannon Runs Committee: Judge Susan Melton, Brian Elrod, Catherine Player, Keylon Holloway, and Alissa Kalish,” said director Sharon De Boer. “This committee worked their hearts out to bring an amazing event to our community. We are looking forward to next year’s run!” If you want to serve on the 2018 Cannon Runs Committee, please contact Keylon Holloway at (615) 563-9915.
