Sgt. P’s Lapghans hosts first annual 3K/5K Run/Walk

Sgt. P’s Lapghans for Veterans is hosting its first annual Stars and Stripes 3K/5K Fun Run/Walk along the Kishwaukee River Trail in Belvidere Park on Saturday, Aug. 6.

Registration and check-in begins at 7 a.m. and the race begins at 8 a.m. at the Kiddieland Shelter.

There will be raffles, prizes, lapghan presentations to military veterans, and much more.

Spectators get in for free, as well as participants under the age of 12. Participants between the ages of 12 and 55 have a registration fee of $30 for early registration; $40 for registration; and seniors over 55 have a registration fee of $25 for early registration and $35 for later registration; and active duty military and veterans have a registration fee of $15 for early registration or $20 for later registration.

Please check out our website for more information including registration, pledge forms, prize updates, and more. Visit our website at: www.sgtpslapghans.org.

Donations welcome

Sgt. P’s Lapghans welcomes anyone who would like to donate their time and/or yarn to knit and/or crochet lapghans for veterans. Sewers and quilters are also welcome.

Yarn donations of any brand and any color are welcome with a worsted weight of four-ply yarn.

Monetary donations are also welcome to keep the organization running. Donations can be made on our website or through the mail.

Donations are tax deductible under section 170 of the IRS code.

What is a Lapghan?

A lapghan is a wheelchair-friendly afghan. The maximum dimensions are 36 by 48 inches and no fringe or other adornments that may get caught in the wheels for veterans who may be using wheelchairs.

If you do not like to take on large projects such as afghans, you may knit or crochet 6 by 6 inch squares or 12 by 48 inch strips. It would take 48 squares or three strips to make a lapghan.

Distribution

In addition to distributing lapghans to individual veterans that we encounter or that request lapghans, we distribute to organizations as well.

These include: William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, Wis.; Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Assistance Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wis.; Top of Illinois Veterans Stand Down in Rockford; VFW John Hugo Kaiser Post 1461 in Belvidere; Veterans Assistance Commission of Boone County; and Housing 4 Our Vets in Janesville, Wis.

As we continue to grow, we will be adding more locations where we will distribute lapghans.

About Sgt. P’s Lapghans for Veterans

Sgt. P’s Lapghans for Veterans is a tax exempt 501©3 nonprofit organization.

Our mission is to wrap our veterans in comfort and warmth with lapghans made out of love and gratitude for their sacrifice and service. We distribute lapghans to veterans year-round.

Within our 23 months, we have distributed 960 lapghans to veterans.

For more information, email us at: [email protected] or like us on Facebook or Follow us on twitter at: www.twitter.com/SgtPLapghans. You can also mail to us at P.O. Box 274, Poplar Grove, IL 61065.

Inspiration

The inspiration for this organization comes from Charlotte Kennedy’s father, Sgt. Walter Petroske who served in the Army in WWII in Company A, 9^th Armored Engineer Battalion.

He was a demolitions specialist and bravely fought in the Battle of the Bulge and Remagen Bridge in Germany. He was honorably discharged in 1945 after the end of the war. He has always been a proud and patriotic American and a true role model for those around him.

We were established on Flag Day on June 14, 2014.