A Riverview Middle School student is hosting a 5K run to help out a special group of athletes.

Jared Posey, 13, will hold his third annual Jareds 5K Fun Run at Rock Creek Park on Friday. Each year, Posey chooses an organization to receive proceeds from the race. This year, he chose Special Olympics Dawson County.

My first one was for the two-day walk in Atlanta, and we got about $500, Posey said. Last year was for Childrens Healthcare, and we got about $720. Im hoping we can get more this year.

Posey said he chose Special Olympics this year because of two athletes in his neighborhood who participate. I just liked what they (Special Olympics) did and I just wanted to help out with that, he said.

Special Olympics of Dawson County provides the opportunity for children and adults with disabilities to participate in year-round sports training and athletic competition. The organization does not receive money from the school system and relies solely on volunteers and donations.

Kim Baker, Riverview Middle special education teacher and local coordinator for Special Olympics, is excited Posey chose the organization.

I was thrilled that he wanted to choose our kids to do this for, Baker said. We are just splitting off from a bigger group, and we are starting with nothing. We need to have something to start our organization with, and this will be a great boost for what were doing. It will allow us to go to Winter State Games.

Posey said because he and his brother are both cross-country runners, he thought it would be cool to host a 5K. Posey admits that in the beginning, he wanted to keep the proceeds for himself. But his father convinced him to donate to an organization that would help people in some way.

Registration for the race begins at 5:45 p.m. on Friday. The race will begin at 6:30 p.m. Cost to register is $5. Last year, we had a little over 50 (registrants), so Im hoping we get about 75, Posey said.

For more information on the race, you may visit www.facebook.com and search for Jareds 5K Fun Run. In addition to snacks and water provided by Etowah Water and Sewer Authority, there will also be a raffle for prizes and a t-shirt for the first 50 participants.

Not quite ready to strap on your running shoes? Well, there are still plenty of ways to support Special Olympics, Baker said. Anyone can be a volunteer in any way, she said. People are needed to chaperone weekend trips, or possibly chauffeur athletes to practices when their parents are not available. The group also is looking for people to partner with the athletes in some of the competitions. Others are needed to cheer on participants at competitions. And most importantly, the organization is looking for donations.

Jareds wonderful work will start us off, Baker said. You need $1,000 to $1,500 to go to these events. The money is spent on travel, registration fees and uniforms for the athletes.

For more information you may visit the Facebook page www.facebook.com/specialolympicsdawsoncounty.