Jingle Bell Run set Nov. 10

Hundreds of people will tie jingle bells to their shoe laces, don Santa hats and festive holiday costumes and line up outside West Park Mall on Nov. 10 for a 5K run or two-mile walk.

Proceeds from the Jingle Bell Run, the first run of this kind in Cape Girardeau in more than a decade, will benefit the Arthritis Foundation.

More than 1.5 million children and adults in Missouri are affected by arthritis, including 41 percent of the population of Southeast Missouri.

Marilyn Duncan, director of the Southeast Missouri branch of the Arthritis Foundation, said the run is a fun event that is meant to raise money and awareness for the local chapter.

"We want to let people know there is a place they can call if they need help handling the disease," she said.

The top three male and female finishers in 12 different age categories will walk away with medals, but everyone who participates will be a winner, Duncan said.

People who do not want to run, or cannot run, can take part in the two-mile fun walk at the same time.

The Arthritis Foundation sponsors several similar events each year throughout the country and overseas. Two Cape Girardeau area residents will travel to Dublin, Ireland, to take part in an Arthritis Foundation sponsored Joints in Motion Marathon on Monday, and five others will travel to Honolulu in December for another marathon.

hkronmueller@semissourian.com

335-6611 extension 128