From Mount Joy to Ghana, an Arm of Hope stretches across continents to reach children in need. That connection will come to life locally on Saturday, May 2, when the Mount Joy-based nonprofit invites the community to step up and step out for its annual 5K. The event will be held at Hope Community Church, 1806 Harrisburg Ave., with the race kicking off at 9 a.m.

Greg Grove, who directs the race with Keith Franz, encouraged people to sign up for the event.

"It's a great family-friendly event, flat, easy course with door prizes and a great cause," he said. "All ages are welcome - walkers, runners, strollers, pets, everyone!"

Along with a variety of door prizes, baked goods will be presented to 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 Friday, April 24. To order, visit http://www.armofhopeinghana.org/bbq.

The annual 5K is a fundraiser for the Arm of Hope camp in Ghana, which provides food, education and health care to children in need through weeklong camps for students of elementary and high school age. The camps provide an opportunity for children to get out of the slums of Ghana and have fun, all while learning about the love of Jesus.

"Arm of Hope changes lives," Grove shared, noting that the July camp expects 1,100 campers this summer at a cost of approximately $60 per child. "A team from the U.S. led by Cheryl and Mike Zimmerman - Cheryl is the U.S. director of Arm of Hope - goes every year to help with the two-week camp."

Grove has experienced the power of the program firsthand.

"I have been to summer camp six times in the last 11 years, including last summer, and I have witnessed kids grow up and get involved as leaders as adults in Arm of Hope and their community," he shared. "As I said, Arm of Hope changes lives. I have seen it."

Online advance registration is requested for the 5K and will increase the chance of obtaining a race T-shirt, but race-day registration will also be accepted. The deadline for registering online is Friday, May 1. The cost to register is by donation.

To register, visit http://www.armofhopeinghana.org/5k.