Community Corner
5k Run Honors Elisa Nelson's Memory
The April event is designed to support a number of causes that would have been near to the 10-year-old murder victim's heart.
PALM HARBOR, FL — Organizers of Elisa’s Greatest Wishes 5k run are hoping Tampa Bay area runners will be inspired to lace up their shoes and hit the road to benefit a number of causes that would have been near to a 10-year-old murder victim’s heart.
The April 2 5k race and 1-mile fun run takes place in Palm Harbor to honor the memory of Elisa Nelson. The 10-year-old was riding her bicycle to Palm Harbor Middle school the morning of Nov. 4, 1980, when she was abducted and subsequently murdered. Her convicted killer, Larry Eugene Mann of Dunedin, was executed in April 2013 for the crime.
Jeff Nelson, Elisa’s brother, said the event is being organized by some of Elisa's former classmates with help from a number of local groups. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated Elisa’s disappearance and death, is helping spread word about the event.
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"We're trying to do something to change the way she's remembered," Jeff Nelson explained.
The 5k run is now in its second year. Last year's event raised more than $50,000 for local causes, including scholarships.
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Jeff Nelson said his sister "was a very giving person. She used to give her own allowance money to the MDA. We're doing the things she would have been doing had she been alive."
Elisa’s Greatest Wishes 5k steps off at Wall Springs Park, 3725 Desoto Blvd., at 8 a.m. April 2. The 1-mile fun run starts at 9 a.m. The cost to participate is $30 in advance for the 5k and $35 on the day of the event. The 1-mile run costs $18 in advance and $20 on race day.
“The race proceeds will be used to buy books for school libraries, fund scholarships, Girl Scouts, youth athletics, help sick children, animal charities or anything else that was in Elisa's nature to help,” the sheriff’s office wrote in an email to media.
To sign up for the race or learn more about the event, visit Elisa’s Greatest Wishes online.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Nelson
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