One of my favorite races each year is the Bradshaw Rogers Financial Partners 5K at The Forum, and here are a few reasons why. The run/walk is held each year on Jan. 1, the actual final resolution day for most people. And many of us have consumed way too many calories since Thanksgiving, so this date is the perfect time for a commitment and resolution to get more exercise. That statement alone is too broad and rarely achievable because it is. But what if you decided to do your resolution in a trackable and achievable way?

One of my neighbors, 12-year-old Naomi McDonald, told me that she was going to do 12 races during 2025 and it all would begin with the Resolution Run. Two friends, husband and wife, told me that they were going to walk some of our races this coming year as a commitment to better fitness.

The Resolution Run 5K has several purposes, one of them being an opportunity to commit to a year of better health. Additionally, this is by far the lowest-priced race of the year and 100 percent of all proceeds go to Rowan Helping Ministries. The cost is just $10 for early registration and then $15 on Jan. 1. Donations of cash, non-perishable food and especially canned goods plus used running shoes will be accepted and used at Rowan Helping Ministries.

Each participant will get a new shirt left over from our 2024 races, refreshments after the 5K and the unparalleled feeling of achievement on the first morning of the year. Especially if that achievement is a new thing, and you decide that you want more in the near future. All runners and walkers will be timed on an accurate course and results will be posted online afterwards. The top 10 male and female runners will get medals but the event can be as competitive or non-competitive as you want it.

Start time is 9 a.m. but plan to arrive by 8:15 to enjoy the check-in process while picking out your new shirt and a bathroom break. The Resolution Run uses the Butterball course which is protected by Salisbury PD, other volunteers and is coned off. Count all this as a fun morning with no pressure and come make that commitment to better health, especially if all this is new to you.

I am a big advocate of giving blood and have been doing so for more than 25 years. Since my back accident in May, I had not given but got back on track at Fieldstone Presbyterian Church in Mooresville on Monday. Why there? Because I have given four times there and each one has been extremely welcoming and pleasant. Homemade cookies help, too!

A co-worker told me once, “There is no way I am going to give blood!” My response was, “How will you feel when you need blood?” His response, “I hope it will be there.”

Perhaps you have heard some of this before. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses and traumatic injuries. The need for blood is constant, with only about 3 percent of eligible people donating yearly. About 328 million people currently live in the U.S., and 6.8 million give blood. About 13.6 million units of whole blood are collected annually. Blood donations include red cells, platelets and plasma, and are one of the most important things we can do to help others, especially at this time of giving. There is no substitute for blood, and it can’t be manufactured. Your gift of blood will be appreciated.

Go to www.redcrossblood.org or www.oneblood.org to read more and schedule a donation. Giving blood is a favorite thing for me to do, recently made more fun because I have become a competitive giver. Of course, I want to give as often as possible, but being competitive by nature, I now test myself with how quickly I can give a pint. Red Cross would frown on any more details, but I regained the SRR record this past week.

Look for more about the Resolution Run and other activities, soon to include a blood drive, at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.