STUART – The 2025 CCKids 1K for Kids & Story Stroll will take place this May 17 in a new venue - the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens and newly expanded Pioneer Park.

As in past years, free event shirts will be given to the first 100 people to register.

“This is an important event for us, and we are so grateful to the city of Port St. Lucie for allowing us the opportunity to use such a beautiful space,” said Christina Kaiser, CCKids Community Relations Director. “We think the gardens alone will bring people out to the event.”

The 1K for Kids is a special event that celebrates local foster homes while also serving as an education and recruitment tool for the broader community as part of the CCKids’ 25in2025 campaign to add 25 foster homes by the end of the year.

2025 marks the event’s fourth year and is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 17, at Port St. Lucie’s newly expanded Pioneer Park and neighboring Botanical Gardens.

The route will wind around succulent plantings, hanging orchids, a butterfly garden and much more. Along the way, there will be stories of children and families in the foster-care community brought to life through QR codes.

Additionally, anyone interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent will have the opportunity to connect with a recruitment specialist.

The event also will feature celebration stations where families can learn how to be an important connection in a child’s life by supporting foster care efforts without actually becoming a licensed foster home, Kaiser said.

“Like the starfish washed onto the beach whose life is saved by one small act of kindness, it only takes one connection to change a child’s life,” said Kaiser, referencing the campaign’s starfish imagery. “You can be a foster parent, but if that’s not possible, you can be the connection.”

If you’re interested in signing up, please register at www.cckids.net or by texting 772-528-0362. Please note, you must be present to claim your shirt.