Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Oct. 4, 2025 – Dozens of runners and their four-legged companions took to Craighead Forest Park Saturday to raise money and awareness for local animal rescues.
The Purple Ribbon Project (PRP) held its 2025 Northeast Arkansas Rescue 5K Rescue Run on Oct. 4, in an effort to help raise money to benefit three animal rescues: Arkansas Pet Savers (TAPS), Biscuit’s Legacy, and Northeast Arkansans for Animals (NAFA).
PRP cofounder Jill Cravens said the main reason for doing the event was that smaller rescues in Jonesboro do not get as much notoriety as some of the larger ones, meaning less funding and community support.
“I’ve had this [idea] in my heart for about 10 years, then this past year, I decided to go ahead and just go for it,” Cravens said.
Volunteers from each animal rescue were at the event, with the money being used for different purposes.
“Food, vet bills, other supplies that you need when you’re taking care of animals, cleaning supplies, crates, kennels, just everything,” said Jennifer Jasinski, with TAPS.
“Because of what we do, our vet bills are extremely high, so most of the money raised today will go to taking care of our animals that are going through the court system,” said Maggie Bradley, with Biscuit’s Legacy.
“We’ll be using ours for the low cost vaccination clinic,” said Wanda Turner, with NAFA.
There were 92 participants who showed up for the 5K, walking or running along the 3.2-mile loop trail with their pets.
Cravens said the crowds exceeded her expectations.
“I’m just so overwhelmed right now,” Cravens said. “I can’t believe the people that showed up, especially the ones that pre-registered, and then we have a whole bunch that showed up afterwards for the on-site registration. It’s just incredible.”
Stephanie Gulley brought her dog Delgado to the event. She said although he’s 11, he was very excited to be there.
“This is his first one. He loves to get out,” Gulley said. “He’s a senior dog, and he needs to be able to get out.”
Nicole Holland brought Grizzly, whom she adopted from TAPS. She said she loves to get her dog and Saturday was the day to do it.
“We’re not here to win any awards like that. We’re just going to enjoy a morning with the dog and get him some exercise,” Holland said.
Matt Elam and his dog Ruby came out, with Matt calling her his “well-trained athlete.” He said the one thing he was looking forward to in the race was getting out with people and supporting the cause.
“Anything we can do to help the animals in Northeast Arkansas, they bring joy to our lives, so it’s a good thing to give back,” Elam said.
The 5K lasted over an hour, the fastest runner being 12-year-old Ruby Westbrook, with a time of 22 minutes and 43 seconds. Her first thought on her mind was that she beat the boys.
“I’m just really happy, I’m pretty happy about it,” Westbrook said when asked her thoughts on the win.
Cravens said there are already plans to hold another 5K in the first week of October 2026. She hopes it will be double what happened on Saturday.
“Double the money, double the people, and double the volunteers, and it’s just going to grow every year,” Cravens said.
View the results of the 5K by clicking the links below:
