Mary Greeley Medical Center is holding its 10th annual Hope Run on Saturday to raise funds for the Israel Family Hospice House.

The Hospice House is funded through private support, and the Hope Run raises funds for ongoing care of the House.

Andrea Hammes Dodge, development coordinator at Mary Greeley Medical Center said, “[The Israel Family Hospice House] has 24-hour really, really good care and great, compassionate staff and volunteers that will help the patients and the family members deal with the loss of their loved-ones.”

The Hope Run has four different events: the 10K, the 5K, the 1-mile  — non-competitive — and Hope Run Jr. The 10K, 5K, and 1-mile runs will begin at 8 a.m. and will be followed by an award ceremony. At 9:45 a.m., the Hope Run Jr., which is for children under 10, will begin.

“Basically everybody can be involved in some respect,” Dodge said. “If they want to walk with somebody, they can do that, or, if they are competitive and want to run a 10K, timed for an award, they have that opportunity as well. It’s just a great community event to remind people what kind of care we can provide.”

The entry fee is $25 for adults who register prior to the event, $30 for adults who register at the event and $10 for children under 12. The proceeds will be put into an endowment for the Hospice House.

“Ten years ago, when [the endowment] was set up, all the money that was fundraised was put into an endowment, which means that the Hospice House operates off of the interest from that money,” Dodge said. “The more money we raise, the more interest is available for the operating of the House.”

Dodge, the event coordinator for the Hope Run, is joined by a group of volunteers in planning and setting up the event. Diane Flummerfelt and Beth Henriksen are the event’s volunteer co-chairwomen.

The Hope Run is held in conjunction with the Mary Greeley Festival. The festival will include entertainment, food and games for all ages. Medical professionals from Mary Greeley Medical Center, McFarland Clinic PC, and the Blood Center of Iowa will be offering healthy living information and health screens.

“There are all sorts of wellness and healthy activities,” Henriksen said. “There are usually an ambulance, a fire truck, blood pressure checks, people from the Cancer Center, a lot of little freebies and different vendors.”

The Hope Run and the Mary Greeley Fest will be held at Bandshell Park. All runners will receive a free breakfast provided by Sapore Pizza and a T-shirt.

Early applications can be handed in at Mary Greeley Medical Center. Packets can be picked up from 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Friday at First National Bank, or Saturday at Bandshell Park prior to the race.