YWCA Princeton, ETS To Host 20th Annual Firecracker 5K On June 26

PRINCETON, NJ — YWCA Princeton and ETS will host their 20th Annual Firecracker 5K Run/Walk on Wednesday, June 26 at 6 p.m.

This year's race will be a certified 5K run/walk with a DJ, yard games, prizes, a free 50-yard dash for kids and food trucks from Nomad Pizza, 1911 Smoke House, and Deputy Dawg.

Proceeds from this fun event will support the Pearl Bates Scholarship Fund at The Burke Foundation Early Childhood Center, named after a former ETS staff member and YWCA Princeton volunteer who passed away in 1963.

The Pearl Bates Scholarship Fund helps children and families access childcare and summer programs at YWCA Princeton.

Roughly 42 percent of children enrolled in The Burke Foundation Early Childhood Center at YWCA Princeton receive some form of financial aid subsidy, including the Pearl Bates Scholarship fund.

"Here at The Burke Foundation Early Childhood Center at YWCA Princeton, we don’t just invest in the child, we invest in the whole family,” said Tara O’Shea, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Director of Childcare at YWCA Princeton.

“Scholarship funds allow us to support low-income families’ ability to work or go to school while their child attends a safe, nurturing environment with a professional teaching staff at caregivers at our center.”

Early registration is $40 and day of registration will be $45, available one hour before the start of the race.

Participants will receive a t-shirt and prizes will be awarded to the Top Women and Men Finishers.

To learn more about the event and register, visit ywcaprinceton.org/firecracker5k.