Virtual VA 5K this weekend benefiting veterans

By
Tom Kenny
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – This weekend you can enjoy unseasonably warm weather, get some exercise and help veterans at the same time by taking part in the Virtual VA 5K.

The annual event is being held virtually for the first time due to the pandemic, which means participants can run, walk or wheel when and where it’s convenient for them in a safe and healthy environment.

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You can register online through Sunday morning.  You must complete the event by Sunday at 4:00 p.m. EST.

Racejoy will track participants progress as part of registration for the event.

The proceeds will benefit the Lexington VA Health Care System and Friends of Lexington Fisher House.  The non-profit foundation is raising money to build a Fisher House on the grounds of the VA on Leestown Road in Lexington.

A Fisher House is a home where veterans’ families stay for free while their loved one is hospitalized in either of the two VA hospitals in Lexington.

The house will have 16 private suites and a communal living room, dining room and kitchen.  The pandemic delayed the scheduled groundbreaking from this fall to sometime in 2021.

A Fisher House is only built on military bases or on VA property.  Currently, the only Fisher House in Kentucky is at Fort Campbell.  The Lexington Fisher House will be first to be built in Kentucky on VA property.

Once the $7 million home is built, the non-profit foundation will gift it to the VA for free at which time it will be owned and operated by the VA.

The Lexington Fisher House will become a home away from home for veterans’ families so they can focus on what’s important, which is getting their loved one better.  A family’s love is good medicine.

The house will serve generations of families and keep them from potential financial ruin.

To learn more about the Lexington Fisher House and to register for the Virtual VA 5K, click here.

 

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Tom Kenny
Tom Kenny joined ABC 36 News in June of 2001 as a General Assignment Reporter. A native of Peoria, Illinois, he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Western Illinois University. He currently anchors ABC 36 News at 5pm, 6pm and 11pm. Tom has more than three decades of experience in broadcast journalism. He is the only broadcast journalist in Lexington television history to be honored with a national Edward R. Murrow Award. Tom was recognized for reporting on a story that gave a rare glimpse inside the secretive world of the Federal Witness Protection Program. He has won an Emmy Award for anchoring and another for investigative reporting, exposing the deceit and potential danger of online diploma mills. Tom has ten other Emmy nominations to his credit for investigative and feature reporting. He has won Associated Press Awards for reporting and anchoring. He has won two Addy Awards for excellence in promotional writing. Tom was the first broadcast journalist in Lexington TV history to be awarded the Silver Circle Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. It is one of the highest honors given by NATAS. It recognizes television professionals who have performed distinguished service within the television industry for 25-years or more. Tom was honored for more than his longevity, he was recognized for making an enduring contribution to the vitality of the television industry and for setting high standards of achievement. He was also recognized for giving back to the community as a mentor, educator and volunteer. Tom also has network broadcast experience in radio and television having worked as a sports reporter for ESPN, Sportschannel, NBC Sports and the Breeders’ Cup. He was also the studio host and halftime producer for CBS Radio Sports’ College Football Game of the Week and covered the NFL for One-On-One Radio Sports. Prior to joining WTVQ-TV, Tom was Vice-President of the Houston Astros Minor League baseball team in Lexington. He was part of the original management team that brought professional baseball back to the Bluegrass after a nearly 50-year absence. Tom has lived in Lexington since 1984. In that time, he has been heavily involved with dozens of charity and civic groups, with a special emphasis on helping Veterans. He can be reached at tkenny@wtvq.com. You can also follow Tom on Facebook www.facebook.com/TomKennyABC and Twitter @TomKennyNews. Just click on the links at the top of the page.