Jason Castro Joining Jabari Greer for The Greer Campaign’s Run Jackson | Events

American Idol finalist Jason Castro is joining New Orleans Saints cornerback Jabari Greer for a free festival in downtown Jackson on Saturday, June 16. Hosted by The Greer Campaign with assistance from the Jackson Downtown Development Corporation, Run Jackson will take place in blocked off streets around Jackson City Hall. The festival exists to promote The Greer Campaign’s mission of uniting fathers and uniting families on Father’s Day weekend.

The day will begin with a 5K and a one-mile Family March with Jabari Greer and the Jackson-Madison County Schools Drum Line All Stars. It also will include a family auction, children’s games and races for Special Needs Athletic participants and community heroes. The Lunch Box and Coca-Cola will serve food and drinks. WYN 106.9 West TN Idol/Texaco Country Showdown Finalists will take the stage at 1 p.m., followed at 2:30 p.m. by Castro, a finalist from American Idol’s seventh season. Music will continue as Saul 2 Paul and Eric Price perform before Greer and area sponsors announce the Paul Williams Father of the Year award. Smooth Jazz Progression will close out the celebration by filling the streets with music from 7:30 until 9 p.m.

Artists, crafters, organizations and small businesses can have a booth all day for $50; to reserve a space individuals can contact Dawn Bramblett at dawn(at)bramblettgrp(dot)com. Anyone wanting to volunteer that day can contact Tierra Thaxton at tierrathaxton(at)yahoo(dot)com. Anyone who would like to donate new or gently used items to the family auction can bring them to the festival between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. All proceeds from the sales of these items will benefit The Greer Campaign. Special Father’s Day T-shirts will be available for purchase at The Greer Campaign booth.

Anyone interested in joining those already sponsoring the event can contact The Greer Campaign Executive Director Sandy Stewart at sandy(at)thegreercampaign(dot)org. Platinum sponsors already committed include Skin Tight Skin Care and Coke Cares, while many others have donated $1000 and other amounts to fund the community event and support The Greer Campaign’s mission.

Following is a schedule of events for Saturday, June 16.

7 a.m. — Registration for 5K and Family March with Jabari Greer

Vendors can begin setting up from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m.

All family-oriented vendors can contact Dawn(at)bramblettgrp(dot)com.

New and gently used items accepted until 10 a.m. for family auction

8 a.m. — 5K Race

5K will begin at Jackson City Hall with a downtown course that finishes back in front of city hall. All preregistered participants will receive a tech shirt. Registration is online at racesonline.com ($30).

9 a.m. — Family March with Jabari Greer and Jackson Madison County Schools Drum Line All-Stars

March will begin in front of Jackson City Hall. People of all ages are encouraged to participate and bring strollers if needed. Registration is free; T-shirts will be available for purchase.

JMCSS Drum Line All-Stars will be coordinated by Ben Parker, Liberty High School Assistant Director of Bands

9:30 a.m. — 5K Trophy Presentation

10 a.m. — Sprint Races

50-yard dash for Special Needs Athletics members; no charge for participants

Community Heroes Race — competition among firefighters, police, EMTs from

the region; Teams can contact Shelby(at)bramblettgrp(dot)com to register.

50-yard dash open to any Entrants - $25 to participant; no pre-registration

50-yard dash vs. Jabari Greer — Open to any entrants 25 years and older; $50 to

participate; no pre-registration

Free Kids’ Games Begin — Jumpers, Dunkin’ Booth, etc.

Family Auction Begins — Kids of all ages can bid on new and gently used items; all

proceeds benefit The Greer Campaign

10:30 a.m. — The Lunch Box serving food throughout day and Coca-Cola products for sale

11:30 a.m. — Sprint Race Award Presentations

Noon — Lunch, Vendors, Music, Games

1 p.m. — WYN 106.9 West TN Idol/Texaco Country Showdown Finalists

2:30 p.m. — Jason Castro

4:00 p.m. — TBA

5:00 p.m. — Saul2Paul

6:00 p.m. — Eric Price, II

7:00 p.m. — Presentation of the Paul Williams Father of the Year Award by Jabari Greer and award sponsors

Prizes include a recliner from Royal Furniture, a Sam’s gift card and an overnight stay and Sunday brunch for two at the DoubleTree Hotel. To nominate a father, brother, son or friend, individuals can write a paragraph of no more than 250 words telling why he deserves to be father of the year. Entrees must be postmarked by June 11 and received at P.O. Box 32, Oakfield, TN 38362 by June 14. Recipient must be present to win.

Family auction ends; purchasers must be present to pay

7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. — Smooth Jazz Progression

Greer, the founder of The Greer Campaign, explained why Run Jackson exists by saying, “We have four goals for this event: unite fathers and families, bring the community together, bring attention to downtown Jackson and raise money to strengthen our families. With so many people coming together, we’re going to make a huge statement about the importance of family unity.”

Greer graduated from Jackson’s South Side High School and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee, where he was a three-year starter at cornerback for the Vols and a track and field record holder. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills in 2004 and became a starter for the Saints in 2009, the same season the New Orleans team won the Super Bowl. A father of four, he is passionate about supporting fatherhood — encouraging dads who are single or married to take active, loving, involved roles in their children’s lives. That led to his founding The Greer Campaign.

The Greer Campaign’s mission is to unite fathers and unite families — providing education to fathers to assist them in their rights and responsibilities to their children. The third fatherhood class will begin June 4. The nonprofit also hosts workshops and outings with the entire family to help fathers and children reach their full potential. More information is available at http://thegreercampaign.org.