Pilot Butte Run-Walk Aids Homeless Youth

Over 150 people gathered at Pilot Butte Saturday to walk and run for homeless children in Central Oregon.

This is the second year the LOFT (Living Options For Teens) and Cascade Youth and Family Center have held the 3:33 fund-raiser.

Runners and walkers got stamps for every time they walked or ran up and down the butte.

Organizers said their number of participants as well as their volunteers more than doubled this year.

It’s called 3:33 because it’s a 3-hour 33-minute up-and-down course, starting and finishing at the base of the butte.

The event is put on and directed by Not Alone, a nonprofit in Bend that advocates for deprived and vulnerable children in the United States and overseas.

The 3:33 fund-raiser cost $25 to enter, with all of the proceeds supporting homeless children in the community.

Mel Parker of CYFC said that “98 percent of the kids leaving the LOFT leave into self sufficiency. So they are renting an apartment, they’re going off to college, they’re going onto Job Corps — they’re making really positive strides in their life.”

The 3:33 plans to add a 5K and 10K race next year