Camp Korey is inviting Skagit County to lace up for a cause on September 19, when the Mount Vernon nonprofit hosts its first annual Heart & Sole 1K/5K Fun Run & Roll. Check-in for the 1K runs from 8:15 to 9:30 a.m., with waves of runners and rollers starting throughout the morning, and the whole thing wraps with a finish-line party built around a foam party, food trucks and community booths.
According to the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce, the event welcomes all participants across both the 1K and 5K distances, with costumes encouraged and what organizers are calling creative and fun starting waves. Registration costs $30 for early birds and rises to $35 after July 1, 2026, while kids under 12 and Camp Korey campers can register for free. Everyone who crosses the finish line gets a medal, and per Camp Korey, 5K check-in specifically begins at 8:15 a.m., with day-of registration climbing to $40 for anyone who waits until race day.
Seahawks, Art and a Firehose Shower Await at the Finish
The post-race celebration is shaping up to be the event's biggest draw. The camp's event listing notes that the finish-line party will feature special guests from the Seattle Seahawks, a community art project hosted by the Museum of Northwest Art, and a cooling firehose shower courtesy of the Lake McMurray Fire Department. On-site first aid will be handled by certified volunteers with the Skagit County Medical Reserve Corps, who are staffing an AED-equipped tent and first aid station, according to Skagit County Emergency Worker Volunteers.
Runners and rollers can register in advance at Camp Korey's official signup page, or reach the organization directly by phone at 360-416-4166 or by email at [email protected]. The event takes place at Camp Korey's campus, 2488 Brotherhood Road in Mount Vernon.
A Namesake Rooted in Loss, a Mission Built on Free Care
The nonprofit behind the run carries a personal history. Camp Korey was founded in 2005 by Tim Rose in honor of his 18-year-old son, Korey Rose, who died after a battle with bone cancer, according to background provided by Camp Korey. Inspired by actor Paul Newman's vision for medically adapted recreation, the organization officially joined the global SeriousFun Children's Network as a member camp in 2012.
Camp Korey moved to its current 200-acre home on Brotherhood Road in 2016, expanding from its earlier site in Carnation, Washington, to build out permanent accessible infrastructure. The Mount Vernon property itself carries deeper local history: the land was originally purchased in 1966 and dedicated in 1968 as Camp Brotherhood, an interfaith unity and peace center co-founded by Father Joseph Treacy and Rabbi Levine, according to Northwest Catholic. It was later known as the Treacy Levine Center before Camp Korey acquired it a decade ago.
Why the Fundraiser Matters for Families Statewide
Every camp session Camp Korey offers is free, a policy that makes fundraisers like the Heart & Sole run essential to keeping the lights on. The organization serves more than 1,800 children and family members each year who live with one or more of over 90 complex medical diagnoses, according to the Skagit Volunteer Center. Since its 2005 founding, the camp has delivered free, specialized programming to more than 37,000 children and family members across the Pacific Northwest.
That reach extends well beyond the Mount Vernon campus and its residential summer sessions. The same account notes that Camp Korey also runs year-round programming, including its Camp to You hospital outreach, Family Weekend retreats, and local Family Day Adventures, bringing camp activities directly to families facing serious illness even outside the summer months.
