The Clinic for Special Children, 535 Bunker Hill Road, Strasburg, will host its annual 5K run and walk on Saturday, Sept. 16. Registration will be available from 7:45 to 8:45 a.m., and the 5K will begin at 9 a.m. The rain-or-shine event will include a kids' color fun run, a bake sale, a chrysanthemum sale and an awards ceremony after the race.

The route of the 5K will begin and end at the clinic's facility in Strasburg, and it will take runners on rural roads between local farms, vineyards and scenic Amish properties. Participants may run or walk the 5K, and the clinic invites runners of all physical abilities to participate. In the past, many participants have finished the race in wheelchairs or while pushing strollers. The kids' color fun run will be held after the conclusion of the 5K.

The proceeds from the event will support the clinic's variety of services, which it provides to families of children with unique medical issues throughout the area. The clinic offers its patients primary care and specialized laboratory services such as genetic testing.

The clinic began holding the annual 5K in 2018 as a way to raise funds and awareness for its services, and the event draws more than 300 runners every year. "One unique thing about the 5K is that it brings together all of the different communities we serve," said Kelly Cullen, marketing and communications manager for the clinic. "We have Amish families and English families who come together to support us."

In addition to supporting the clinic's everyday operations, the proceeds from the 5K will assist the nonprofit with its latest expansion project. Last November, the organization began the construction of a new facility in Gordonville. The new facility, which is located on a 10-acre plot of land located just off of Route 340, will be three times the size of the clinic's current building. The expansion was necessitated by the nonprofit's growing number of patients, and it plans to rent the Strasburg facility to a local nonprofit organization after the move.

The clinic hopes to finish the construction of the new facility this coming spring and officially move its operations there by April 2024. When the organization first began to consider potential locations to relocate to, it created a map showing the locations of its patients' residences to determine where it would be most accessible. Forty-four percent of the clinic's current clients reside in Lancaster County, but it provides lab services throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states.

For more information, visit https://clinicforspecialchildren.org.