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Mark your calendar for Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. in Anderson. It’s the New Foundations Home for Children Cocoa 5K, a timed 5K on mostly paved paths around the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center complex, with the start area at 3027 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. This is an approachable course whether you’re chasing a PR, running your first 5K, pushing a stroller, or just rolling in with friends for the vibes. And yes, cocoa is part of the plan.Here’s why this one matters. New Foundations Home for Children is based in Anderson and has served South Carolina since 1974, originally founded as the Anderson Youth Association. Their work supports foster and at-risk children and helps families work through trauma and mental health challenges through a full continuum of care: residential services, foster care, in-home family preservation and intervention, and transportation services.
On the residential side, New Foundations serves youth ages 10 to 21 in a structured, staff-intensive setting in Anderson County, using strength-based, trauma-informed approaches with a focus on well-being and family permanency. In the community, they recruit, license, and support foster homes, and they provide in-home case management designed to strengthen and preserve families. Their motto says it plainly: “Whatever it takes.”
They’re also licensed through the South Carolina Department of Social Services and nationally accredited through COA, with accreditation dating back to 1995. That combination of local roots and high standards is exactly what the Giving Series is about: showing up for organizations doing steady, meaningful work all year long.
A few quick race notes so you can plan: this event is rain or shine, but severe weather like thunderstorms could cause a cancellation. And if you want a guaranteed race shirt, make sure you register by January 9, 2026.
So here’s the invitation: come run, jog, or walk the Cocoa 5K and turn your miles into momentum for children and families across South Carolina. Bring a friend. Bring the family. Bring that “new year, new habits” energy and aim it at a cause that matters.
To learn more about New Foundations Home for Children, visit their website. And to register for the Cocoa 5K, hop on the race page and lock it in before the shirt deadline.
I’ll see you in Anderson on January 24th. Let’s run for warmth, run for community, and run for the future, whatever it takes.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Civic Center Blvd, Anderson, SC 29625, United States
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