All invited to tomorrow’s 26th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. 5K Walk-A-Thon

RIVERSIDE — The community is invited to come out for tomorrow’s 26th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 5K Walk-A-Thon in the city of Riverside. The Monday, Jan. 21 event will feature booths, entertainment, performances, and a contest for the organization with the most number of walkers.

The theme of this year’s event is “Walking for Peace and Justice” and there will be a short program after the walk featuring local honorees. In a social media release, City of Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey invited all to join the event and to “get your steps in while honoring a monumental man in history.”

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“The MLK Walk brings our community together to reflect on how Dr. King’s words and actions moved our nation forward,” Mayor Bailey told RCNS the day before the event. “It also is a great opportunity to reflect on ways we can continue to honor Dr. King’s legacy in the coming year.”

Organizers of the event say the walk will start promptly at 10 a.m. and end at 2 p.m., with registration beginning  at 7:30 a.m., at Stratton Center in Bordwell Park. After leaving the Stratton Center, the walk will stop at the Martin Luther King Jr. statue on Main St., before ending at the RCC Digital Library.

At the conclusion of the walk, attendees are invited to a short program with performances, guest speakers, and honorees in front of the library. This year’s honorees include Assembly Member Sabrina Cervantes, Judge Irma Poole-Ashberry, Congressman Mark Takano, and Justice Richard Fields.

Free shuttle services back to Stratton Center will be available every half hour beginning at 11 am., according to event organizers.

The cost to join the walk is $25 for ages 13 and up and that fee includes a commemorative T-Shirt for the event. Those 12 and under can walk for free, but all walkers must be registered either before or the morning of the walk. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased here.

Proceeds from this year’s Walk-A-Thon will benefit the Riverside African-American Historical Society; which supports The Civil Rights Institute, Clarke & Grier College Scholarships, and the maintenance and upkeep of the Martin Luther King Jr. statue.

For more information about tomorrow’s Walk-A-Thon, call (951) 384-1866, or visit Riverside African American Historical Society (RAAHS).

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.