People from throughout the area, and some as far away as Birmingham and Pensacola, descended on the town of Orrville Saturday morning to take part in the annual “Promoting A Healthier You” 1K and 5K run.

Cassandra Clifton sponsors the event, which in its fifth year, and said the aim of the event is to build healthier communities.

“I’m a nurse and there are so many unhealthy people here in our community,” Clifton said. “I just saw a need for the community to get out here and improve our health.”

For this year’s event. Clifton partnered with Tiffany Osborne and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Outreach Program, which has set up shop in Orrville with an eye toward improving the area on a number of fronts.

One of those, which goes hand in hand with Clifton’s initiative to make people healthier, is establishing healthcare infrastructure in the town.

“We don’t have any resources in this area,” Clifton said, noting that anyone in need of a hospital or doctor visit has to travel to Selma for the nearest medical services.

While the Saturday morning run aims to get people moving, it also helps to raise funds for the Tutorial Program at the Five Points Developmental Center, which works with students between kindergarten and 12th grade at no charge.

All of the money raised from the event goes to compensate the instructors who work with students through the program.

Last year, Clifton was able to raise more than $2,100 for the program – with at least 60 people participating in this year’s event, Clifton believes it will be able to generate even more funds for the program.

“Every year it has grown,” Clifton said, noting that the community gets excited each Spring as the event nears.

The Orrville Farmers Market signed on to support the event and housed a water station for the runners and Clifton said Orrville Mayor Louvenia Lumpkin has been a valuable asset to the effort.

“She has really done a lot for our community,” Clifton said.