Go for a walk or a run on Saturday, May 4, and you can help children experience a week of fun, fellowship and faith halfway across the globe.

The 11th annual Arm of Hope 5K will begin at 9 a.m. at Hope Community Church, 1806 Harrisburg Ave., Mount Joy.

The event is a fundraiser for the Arm of Hope camp in Ghana, Africa, which provides weeklong camps for students of elementary and high school age. Camp provides an opportunity for children to get out of the slums of Ghana and experience things many kids take for granted - three meals a day, a mattress to sleep on and opportunities to play games - all while learning about the love of Jesus.

"When we held the first camp in 2014, we had 190 kids attend," recalled Greg Grove, who volunteers with the camp and is organizing the 5K. "This year, we were expecting 300 to show up the first week, and 450 showed up. Over the two weeks, we had 785 kids."

One of the neatest things about the Arm of Hope camp, he said, is that campers who attended in the early years are now old enough to return to serve as leaders. "It's really become the kids from Ghana leading the camp while we are there to help them," Grove shared.

Along with the camp, Arm of Hope provides information on Christian faith, access to health care, a Christmas party and more. "In the process, these kids are growing up and becoming the leaders in their community," he said. "It's really about them becoming disciples."

At the 5K, a variety of door prizes will be offered, along with baked goods for the top finishers in each age bracket. The top male and top female overall finishers of the race, along with winners in the master's brackets - for those over age 40 - will receive a handcrafted wooden trophy from Ghana, Grove said.

A chicken barbecue will be available to purchase by donation so participants can take lunch home with them. The meal will include a chicken leg and thigh, a baked potato, a homemade roll and a whoopie pie. Pickup for the chicken barbecue will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the barbecue is open to members of the public even if they are not participating in the 5K. The chicken barbecue is available for preorder only by Saturday, April 27. To order, visit http://www.armofhopeinghana.org/bbq.

Grove, who is organizing the race with Keith Franz, encourages people of all ages to participate in the 5K.

"It's a great family-friendly event," he said. "We have people who come with kids in strollers, people who bring their pets."

He noted that walk-ins are welcome to register for the 5K, but early registration is encouraged. Online registration will close the day before the event. To register, visit http://www.armofhopeinghana.org/5k. Grove also encouraged people to sponsor a participant at the same website.