On September 11, 2014, the fourteenth annual 5K Freedom Run continued the tradition of remembering the heroes and victims of the September 11, 2001 tragedies and, at the same time, the sacrifices that our local police officers and first responders make on a daily basis. The Freedom Run is organized by the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Freedom Run Committee, which was led Allison Grossman, John Hardage, Lauren Brown, and Joshua Kipp.
The Freedom Run is not possible without the support of our generous sponsors. Premier sponsors included: Equivalent Data, Luke’s Locker, and Miller Agency. Freedom Sponsors included Thompson & Knight Foundation, McKool Smith, P.C., Ben E. Keith, and Anderson Tobin. Red, White, & Blue Sponsors included Barefoot Wines, KoonsFuller, GodwinLewis, TexCap-Concord, MAS Law Firm, McGuire Craddock & Strother, P.C., Bracewell Giuliani, and Downtown Dallas.
ESPN kicked-off the evening’s festivities with a nationally-televised press conference announcing the Heart of Dallas Bowl, the post-season college football game that will be played on December 26 at Cotton Bowl Stadium featuring teams from Conference USA and the Big Ten Conference. Kickoff will be 12 p.m. and will be televised ESPN for the first-time after the first four Heart of Dallas Bowl contests being aired on ESPNU.
After that announcement, opening ceremonies began at 6:30 p.m. and included recognition of Dallas firefighter William Scott Tanksley who was killed in the line of duty earlier this year. A moment of silence was observed. The opening ceremonies concluded with a helicopter flyover indicating the start of the run. Over 60 corporate teams and 800 runners/walkers participated in the Freedom Run. The festival featured fantastic live music courtesy of Timmy and the Naturals. Food was available in the VIP tent by Campisi’s and delicious snow cones were provided by Kona Ice. Nestle Quik even provided free chocolate milk to attendees.
This year, the Freedom Run Committee had many members step up and make the race such a huge success. Thank you to everyone from the committee for providing such a strong foundation for the event. A special thanks to committee members Crystal Moore, Sally Pretorius, and Jack Gannon for going above and beyond with all of their efforts. Another special thank you goes to members of the 2014 DAYL Leadership Class for post-event clean-up and especially to Michael Mata with the Dallas Police Association for essentially serving as an addition co-chair on the committee.
Proceeds from the Freedom Run benefit the Assist the Officer Foundation (www.atodallas.org). The Assist the Officer Foundation provides assistance to officers who are facing the loss of income due to serious injury, life-threatening illness, or other catastrophic events. Immediate assistance is also available to families of first responders in the unfortunate event of death of an active officer.
Thanks to all of our wonderful sponsors and volunteers, the Freedom Run continues as an opportunity to honor the heroes and victims of the tragic events on September 11, 2001. The Freedom Run is also a time to celebrate the freedom that we enjoy every day by paying tribute to those who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice so that we may continue to enjoy our freedom. The 2014 Freedom Run was a tremendous success and we look forward to making next year even better!