Route offers scenic tour of several historic sites in downtown Montgomery
Tamika Reed, the wife of Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, served as honorary chairwoman of the Women In Training, Inc. 2nd Annual 5K Race to End Poverty. PERIOD! on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, in downtown Montgomery. The race was held to raise proceeds for menstrual hygiene products for people in need.
“As an advocate of both women’s rights and the importance of physical fitness, I was pleased to serve as honorary chairwoman of the WIT 5K Race to End Poverty. PERIOD!” said Reed, an investment banker/attorney who is also the chairperson of the Move Montgomery Health and Wellness Task Force and the 100 Women Strong Committee. “This event promotes healthy physical activity while also raising money to ensure that everyone has access to the hygiene products they need in order to live their lives to the fullest extent.”
The race was a fundraiser for Women In Training, Inc.’s signature WITKITS Campaign to provide menstrual products and hygiene items to young, low-income people who menstruate. Because of the economic fallout from the pandemic, the number of girls and women who cannot afford menstrual products has increased from one in five to one in four, causing them to miss school, class, work or similar obligations because they do not have the products they need. Many girls who struggle to afford period products resort to using paper towels, rags, socks and other items that place their health in jeopardy.
The race began at the Court Square Fountain on historic Dexter Avenue. Participants walked or ran on a hilly course along the streets of downtown Montgomery. They enjoyed a visual tour of several historic sites in downtown Montgomery, including the church where Martin Luther King Jr. pastored while living in Montgomery during the Civil Rights Movement, the Alabama State Capitol where King gave a speech about voting rights at the end of the Selma-to-Montgomery march, and the spot where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a city bus, energizing the civil rights movement.
“I enjoyed working with the Women In Training 2nd Annual 5K Race to End Poverty. PERIOD!” stated Lori Stinson Burks, Race Director. “As we state on the pavement, ‘your race, your pace,’ and that’s exactly what it was! I was in awe of goals being accomplished during this 5K! As we continue to support period poverty, let’s also make lifestyle changes to fight obesity!”
Since its founding in July 2019, WIT has distributed more than 10,000 WITKITS of menstrual and hygiene products to girls and women in need across Alabama.
To see the complete race results, please go here.
To donate to Women In Training, Inc. click here.