The ninth annual Raising the House 5K Run and Walk will be held at 9 a.m. May 13 in Palmerton.

Held annually each spring, the race is devoted to the memory of Blaine House, a Towamensing teacher who died in 2013.

Participants may still register at raisingthehouse.org leading up to the day of the event. In-person registration is at 8 a.m. the day of the race.

Those who cannot make it the day of the race have a virtual option, and may visit raisingthehouse.org to register so that they may do it on their own time.

Last year’s event had about 120 participants, according to board member Tamara House.

“It’s one of our largest fundraising events,” House said. “All of the money that we raise does go toward Raising the House.”

House said they really look forward to the race.

“My family, we’re just so thankful that we can continue doing with what Blaine did helping the students,” she said. “We’re happy to continue this in his memory,”

House said everyone who is associated with Raising the House is a volunteer, and that more information about the organization is available on the website.

“We have a scholarship program for graduating seniors of Palmerton Area High School, the Blaine House Backpack Program which helps with food scarcity needs of students in the district, and our Family Assistance Program which helps students and their families when they’re facing difficult situations such as a major medical situation, home fire).

House noted that they are a volunteer 501c3 nonprofit organization, and that any donations made to Raising the House are tax deductible.

“There is such a great need in Palmerton and in the district for what we do, and that need is getting larger and larger every year,” she said. “We work literally hand-in-hand with all the guidance counselors in the district.”

House said the funds for the 5K Run and Walk support the mission of the Raising the House organization, which is to provide financial assistance to students and families within the district, while honoring the memory of Blaine.

“The need is just increasing, especially the food scarcity, is really something that has to be addressed,” she said. “We’re so thankful that we are able to help the community and alleviate some of those problems a little bit.”

House said they are looking for volunteers and race sponsors, and that they have four different levels of sponsorship, which can be found at raisingthehouse.org.

“Our fundraisers are very important to us, and the House family is just so happy in Blaine’s memory that we are able to do these things for the community,” she said. “We have more fundraisers coming up, a lot of things being planned.”

House said they are also accepting donations, and information may be found at raisingthehouse.org, the Raising the House Facebook page, as well as on Instagram.