True Loving Connections: TLC 5K

Adrian Soto, Writer
March 8, 2019

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In Downey, there is a program to aid struggling members of the community. The program, TLC or True Lasting Connections, organized the “2019 Stay Healthy Downey 5K for TLC” marathon run on Feb.23 to fundraise money for their programs. Members from the Downey community participated and donated their time at Apollo Park for the run.

The 5K Run began at 8:00 a.m. and ended around 10:30 a.m, followed by thirty minutes reserved for the award ceremony. Booths from the sponsors of the events filled the runners’ wait area. Sponsors ranged from Try FPCU, Rotatarty International, Luis’ Butchershop, Downey Education Association, and The Downey Family YMCA among more at the event.

The waiting area where volunteers were working filled up as runners arrived in masses. Students of all ages, dogs, and adults were all a part of the 5K run. When the buzzer rung, everyone moved as one through the course until they were divided up into their walker, jogger, and runner lanes.

Part of the track team and participating in the run, freshman Sarah Jauregui from Warren High School bonded with her teammates through the TLC 5K.

“It is a really good experience to be able to run with the whole [track] team,” Jauregui said. “I think it is really good that it does a lot of people good to come here and support the whole thing. It is really fun to run it with my friends.”

Accompanying Jauregui, Warren freshman Yulyana Valle loved the run as she crossed the 5K finish line.

“It was our first time running as a group and at the same time we were helping each other,” Valle said. “They were saying ‘Keep going!’, supporting us basically. It felt good to cross that finish line, we felt accomplished.”

Throughout the marathon, the runners were cheered on by the crowd surrounding the course. The Parks and Recreation Crew of Apollo Park provided water and fruits to finishing marathoners. A group of Downey High School students also participated in the event by awarding “5K” medallions to all runners who crossed the finish line.

Daniel Estrella crossed the finish line at a time right under seventeen minutes, placing him as the first runner to finish the 5K. He appreciated the effort TLC made with this 5K as it made it stand out among his previous marathons.

Tags: 2019 Stay Healthy Downey 5K for TLC, TLC

About the Contributors

Adrian Soto, Writer

As vice president of Downey High School’s writing center, tutor Adrian Soto, 12, shares his passion for helping and teaching his peers. “Humans have a core motivation of being happy and making others happy,” Soto said. “For me, aiding and tutoring my peers is how I found happiness.”

Ever since I met Adrian, he has had a passion for writing. He has gone above and beyond his essays in his previous classes. Given that, he became a tutor in the Writing Center and eventually became the vice president. Not only that, Adrian decided to join Newspaper to express his passion for writing where he can write about important things happening in today’s society, or simply write about something that occurred on campus.

Adrian is someone who not only cares about himself; he goes above and beyond to help those around him. He tutors people who need help and are struggling in classes for free, as he wants others to succeed and improve on what they are struggling in. If Adrian notices that something is wrong, he will ask them if they are ok and if they need someone to talk to, he is there.

-Brianne Galindo

Brianne Galindo, Photographer

Excited to finish high school this May and head off to college, Brianne Galindo, 12, is anticipating the moment she gets to walk with her class at graduation. “I’m not sure what kind of career I’m going to have,“ Galindo said, “but I do know I want to go to a university to study some sort of science.”

Timid yet adamant Brianne Galindo has always given it her all in everything she feels passionate about. She feels a deep interest for photography and home crafting projects. Since she was around ten, Brianne has felt a passion for protecting the environment and its critter inhabitants. After understanding her desire to delve into photography and the environment, she went onto join Newspaper and AP Environmental Science in her senior year.

The first time I met her, she was extremely shy but very respectful to those around her. Although she always seems to be by herself, I have noticed that she cares deeply about those around her. Her love for animals and the Earth has also lead her to give up meat as a vegetarian, and is proud of her dietary change. Over the time that I have had the opportunity to call her a friend, I have seen how devoted she is to her community in the events she participates in. Time and time again she has gone out of her way to do Beach Clean -Ups and to provide child care assistance at her church.

Brianne Galindo is a person that puts her heart above all else and always thinks about her friends before herself. She is truly an honorable and respectable person to have as a friend.

-Adrian Soto