Help us celebrate our local foster families, from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 27, at Port St. Lucie’s Hillmore Lake Park, during CCKids’ Third Annual 1K for Kids & Story Stroll. Free event shirts will be given to the first 100 people to register.

Enjoy a leisurely 1K walk along a tree-lined trail dotted with the stories and videos of children and families of the local foster-care community.

In addition to marking the start of National Foster Care Month, the 1K will launch CCKids' 25 by 2025 campaign to add 25 foster homes by January. 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 the connection' by supporting foster care efforts without actually becoming a licensed foster home, said Christina Kaiser, CCKids community relations director.

"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," Kaiser said. "You can be a foster parent, but if that's not possible, you can be the connection."

The 1K Story Stroll is a little more than half a mile, but the total trail is 1.27 miles for those who want to keep going. Hillmore Park also offers a passive fitness station and two observation/fishing decks extending out over the lake.