Northern Lights 5K Fun Run Fundraiser Set for Sept. 8

Registration is now open for Thomas Judd Care Center’s Northern Lights Fun Run at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, to raise awareness about its services and role in HIV care and prevention.

The nighttime 5K fun run and walk course begins and finishes at Munson Medical Center’s Lot K adjacent to the Grand Traverse Commons on the southwest side of the hospital’s campus at 889 Cottageview Drive. Registration includes a bright T-shirt, swag, chip timing, post-race snacks and a finisher medal.

Cost for the run is $20. Registration ends on Sept. 2. A course map will be available soon.

To register for the race, go to: runsignup.com/northernlights.

Cash prizes will be awarded, including $500 for the top overall finisher. The first male and female runners will receive $200, second place runners $150, and third place runners $100. Participants are encouraged to dress in the spirit of the run with the best glow-in-the-dark, creative, and/or lit-up swag. Three $50 prizes will be awarded to the most enthusiastically adorned registrants.

Thomas Judd Care Center Manager David Rushlow said the Thomas Judd Care Center serves about 150 clients in northern Michigan and offers free HIV testing by appointment. In addition to Rushlow, staff includes a nurse practitioner who provides primary care access to clients, case managers who connect clients with access to health care, counseling, a community health specialist whose role is to share resource information with community health partners across the region, and much more. The clinic also has a transporter/driver to help clients make their appointments.

“Our clinic strives to promote wellness and prevent transmission of HIV by providing holistic-based services to improve the quality of life for patients with HIV/AIDS from U.S. 10 to the Mackinac Bridge,” Rushlow said.

More information on the Thomas Judd Care Center can be found at: munsonhealthcare.org/thomasjuddcarecenter.