Cadets for Kids school's community project

Cadets for Kids, a fundraiser for the Legionville School Patrol Training Center near Brainerd, is the community project for the 52nd State Trooper Candidate School.

The State Patrol's candidate school cadets chose Legionville as their community service project. The fundraiser is designed to benefit underprivileged students who want to attend the Legionville camp but who may not be able to afford the fee, about $180.

"We thought it was one of the best ways to give back to the community," said trooper candidate Mark Hibbard.

In the uncertain economy, the cadets set an initial goal of raising $2,000 by having a 5K family walk/run event March 29 at Camp Ripley. Participants pay a $15 registration fee and sponsors were asked for $100 to be on the T-shirt. Some sponsors offered far more, going as high as $1,000.

The early response had cadets readjusting their expectations to a goal of $5,000. And with pre-registration complete, cadets readjusted their goals again after their efforts raised $17,000. With the fundraiser, the cadets hope to sponsor about 50 students to the Legionville camp.

The cadets estimate with all the help from sponsors, who donated supplies, they'll spend less than $2,000 on event costs.

Cadets expect to have 450-500 runners and walkers participating in the event. Race-day registrations are welcome and begin at 11:30 a.m. Walkers start at 1:30 p.m. and the runners at 2 p.m. A scenic course along the banks of the Mississippi River at Camp Ripley is planned.

Participants will be able to visit the military museum for free and post race refreshments will be provided along with medals to top three finishers for men and women.

For more information, go online to http://sites.google.com/site/cadetsforkids5K and for more information about Legionville go to www.legionville.org.

RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@ brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.