As the busy sounds of running shoes grazing the pavement and friendly conversations filled downtown El Paso, as participants geared up for the Corazón De Niños 5k and one mile walk in the spirit of charity.  

The Camino Real Rotary Club of El Paso hosted its sixth annual Corazón De Niños run on March 10 at Union Plaza Park. 

The Rotary Club provides children in need of medical interventions with the necessary resources through community service projects and events like these. 

The fun run and walk first began in 2018 to fundraise for low-income children who have congenital heart conditions. Since then, the event has gained tremendous community support from businesses and participants.  

“I try to support this event every year,” Hilda Rybak said. “It’s an important event because it supports families who do not have the resources to provide for the kids that require heart surgeries.” 

People of different backgrounds from all over El Paso, New Mexico and Juárez came together for the fundraiser.  

Paola Faivre, a registered nurse in the El Paso area, says it’s important to include the community to increase awareness of the children’s needs.  

“I want to support these kids and help their families facilitate surgeries and help change somebody’s life,” Faivre said.  

This is Faivre’s fourth year running the 5k and she hopes to return next year. 

Each year, the Rotary Club sets a goal for the number of participants needed to afford open-heart surgeries for children in the Chihuahua state.  

“Last year we were able to get 11 open-heart surgeries thanks to the help of El Paso, Las Cruces, Chihuahua and Juárez,” said 5k run director for the Rotary Club, Mario Alcazar. “This year the goal was to reach 1500 runners and thanks to the response of the community we were able to register 1,834.” 

Alcazar says he’s a firm believer in sharing blessings with those who are underprivileged when it comes to medical care.  

“We are blessed with the things that we do, and this is a way for us to share those blessings with the people that have no medical coverage who need open-heart surgeries,” Alcazar said.   

All runners and racing enthusiasts in El Paso looking to beat their previous times while also supporting a meaningful cause are encouraged to register now for the seventh edition of the Corazón De Niños race. 

“We are very excited, and we are very humble cause the purpose of the race is to give help to those kids who were born with congenital problems, so please come and register,” Alcazar said. 

The next race will take place in March 2025. Those interested in learning more about the programs offered by the Camino Real Rotary Club can visit their website, caminorealrotary.club. 

Alyda Muela is a contributor and may be reached at [email protected]; @aly.rose.photos on Instagram.