LYNNFIELD — MarketStreet and Northeast Arc held their annual 4K Run for Inclusion on Sunday at MarketStreet. The event featured a Family Fun Fest that included multiple entertainment activities.
According to MarketStreet General Manager Charlotte Woods, while MarketStreet has cemented itself as a leading entertainment hub in the area in the past decade, it has also organized many events that promote inclusion and diversity.
“We are an all-inclusive property ourselves and we want to make sure that everybody feels welcome here,” Woods said. “And so we work with organizations that do really wonderful things in the community. And we just love to be able to be that place where people can come, they can congregate, they can raise funds for their organization, but also just be together.”
Participants started walking and running from Davio’s restaurant at MarketStreet, left the shopping complex, looped through some neighborhoods near Walnut Street, and returned to MarketStreet on the same route.
Woods said that the 4K Run was an example of the work MarketStreet supports. The event encouraged people to run, walk, or crawl in order to participate.
“While it was a run, we also had a more inclusive walk that just stayed on the property itself for those that either weren’t able to or did not want to do the full race,” Woods said. “The Northeast Arc organization does an amazing job in working to make sure that everybody feels like they can participate.”
Northeast Arc is a nonprofit organization that works to help people with disabilities feel included in the community.
Woods said that the event began at 9 a.m. and had multiple activities like face painting, balloon art, bubbles, and games. Davio’s provided granola bars and breakfast sandwiches for the participants after the race. MarketStreet handed out tote bags, samples from various shops in the complex, and hired a DJ to play music for the participants. Wellness in Motion, a multidisciplinary clinic, offered complimentary massages to participants.
