Sunny Glen Children’s Home to Host 5k/1 Mile Color Fun Run

Updated: September 8, 2024

By Mike Villarreal

The 10th Annual Incredible Kidz 5k/1 mile Color Fun Run, organized by Sunny Glen Children’s Home, will take place at McKelvey Park in Harlingen on Saturday, September 14th. This event serves as the primary fundraiser for Sunny Glen, and we want you to know that your participation is not just welcomed, but crucial to support this meaningful cause. The 5k race will kick off at 8 am, followed by the kid fun run. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of South Texas Urgent Care Center, the first 200 children aged 12 and under who register will be able to join the event for free. The kid’s run promises to be a delightful experience as children will have colorful dye thrown at them throughout the race. We invite everyone to help make this year’s event a phenomenal success. The funds raised from this event will be dedicated to providing hope and a secure, nurturing environment for foster children in the RGV. Your support is vital in offering residential care, counseling services, and supervised independent living programs, all essential services Sunny Glen Children’s Home provides.

The Sunny Glenn Children’s Home, established in 1936 by the Church of Christ, has a rich history and a legacy of providing a safe haven for dependent children. It was initially located in Mercedes, later acquiring a 10-acre property near San Juan, where it operated until 1949, caring for an average of thirty-five children. Due to limitations in raising food on the available land, the home relocated to an eighty-acre facility near San Benito and was rebranded as the “Sunny Glenn Children’s Home,” under the guidance of the Elders of the San Benito Church of Christ. During the early 1960s, the home underwent significant enhancements to its residential care services. This rich history and legacy is what we invite you to be a part of by participating in the 10th Annual Incredible Kidz 5k/1 mile Color Fun Run.
In August 2019, Sunny Glen Home received federal funding to expand and support the residential shelter and care of unaccompanied children. The funding was used to create the New Day Resiliency Center, situated in a 100,000-square-foot building previously a Walmart store. The center is located just south of town at 14091 FM 490, Raymondville, Texas.

In 2020, in historic downtown Harlingen, Sunny Glen established the Monte & Amy Allen House. It is a supervised independent living center named after Dr. Monte Allen and his surviving wife, Mrs. Amy Allen, with the generous support of the Allen Family. This living center is designed to provide housing for up to 10 young adults who lack the necessary resources and life skills to transition into productive community members successfully. Unfortunately, many of these young adults end up homeless within 18 months of leaving the Foster Care system. Sunny Glen has launched the Monte and Amy Allen Supervised Independent Living Center to tackle this issue. The 100-year-old building housing the living center also features Sunny Glen’s Thrift Store, named Vintage on Jackson, where all profits contribute directly to Sunny Glen’s mission.

Currently, Sunny Glen is celebrating its 75th Diamond Anniversary in San Benito and its 88th year of serving the Rio Grande Valley. For more information on Sunny Glen and the 10th Annual Incredible Kidz 5k/1 mile Color Fun Run, you can visit their website at sunnyglen.org or contact them at 956-399-5356.
Information and photos from Sunny Glen Children’s Home Facebook Page