5K run benefits bursary program for Belleville youth

By Joseph Quigley

BELLEVILLE – The Ken Sykes 5K run is taking place this Saturday in downtown Belleville to raise money for youth education.

The annual run is organized by the Quinte Children’s Foundation, which works to improve the lives of children and youth at risk in Hastings County. The run is dedicated to the memory of Sykes, a former board member of the foundation who passed away a few yeas ago.

Connie Reid, the organization’s executive director, said Sykes was a meaningful part of the foundation: “He wanted everyone to have equal opportunities, so it was really important for him to have programs in place that made a difference. He was the kind of person that just didn’t just say it, he’d up his sleeves and got the job done.”

All of the money raised by the run goes to the Reach for Success Bursary program in Sykes’s name. The bursary helps fund post-secondary education for youth in the community. Since it began in 2010, the run has raised over $65,000 toward the program.

“This was the program that Ken was the champion (of),” said Reid. “He was one of the people behind it that really got this program up and running, because he believed all children and youth should have equal opportunities, and that education was the key to breaking the cycle of abuse.”

The run starts at 9 a.m. at Empire Square. More details are available here.