The fourth annual Run for Chris 5K on Saturday, June 27, is both a memorial and charitable event, held in memory of Chris Belfoure, an Essex resident who was passionate about world exploration, travel, and education.

A graduate of Valley Regional High School and West Virginia University, Belfoure was pursuing a career as a corporate trainer in Shanghai prior to his untimely death in 2011. He believed knowledge to be a bridge between cultures and a key in developing innovative approaches to education and customer service.

To remember his spirit and honor him and to keep his passions, belief in the global community, and dedication to teaching and the environment, his mother Robin Chapin and stepfather George Chapin started the The Chris Belfoure Memorial Fund in 2012 to raise money for educational endeavors at the high school level in the Lower Valley of Middlesex County.

“This is a family orientated event with something for everyone,” said Robin Chapin. “We will have face painting, balloon twisting and raffles, as well as the 5K run, the two-mile walk, and the fun run and mile run for kids.”

The proceeds from the Run for Chris go directly to these causes. This designated Fund supports Middlesex County-Lower County public schools and public library programs focused on integrating multicultural experiences, learning foreign languages, and environmental programs into the curricula.

Most recently this fund was instrumental in providing a $1,300 grant to the Valley Regional High School World Language Department to pay for the group’s transportation to JFK for their flight to Paris to embark on their week-long trip to explore the beautiful city.

“We want people to come out and be a part of this Run for Chris event because the funds raised help inspire others to broaden their horizons and explore the world through education, which is exactly what Chris loved most,” said Chapin. “Chris felt that every young person should have similar opportunities to expand their horizons, since his experiences had so profoundly impacted him and his worldview.”

To help explain that worldview, Chapin shared these words written by Belfoure to a friend: “Embark on your journey and only look forward. Not too fast but not too slow. It is the ones that remain idle that get lost in the memories of the past and not the dreams of the future. We as human-beings need to dream again once more.”

To pre-register for the Run for Chris race, visit aratrace.com, and click on Run For Chris. Registration starts at 7 a.m. at the Essex Town Hall.

The Fun Run for kids six year-old and under starts at 8:15 a.m. along with the CB4 Mile Run for those aged 7 to 14. The 5K and two-mile walk start at 8:45 a.m. The Run is USATF Certified. For more information, call Robin Chapin at 860-227-6379.