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Race serves as memorial for Jessica

TAMPA - Kecia Richardson was a stay-at-home mom who organized car pools and play dates and ran her household.

By DONG-PHUONG NGUYEN
Published April 2, 2006

But when 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford was abducted and killed last year, this South Tampa mom became a warrior. Richardson, 43, created a foundation to help keep kids safe, educating children on safety and making the public aware of child predators.

On Saturday, Richardson directed her biggest endeavor yet: a run/walk in memory of the girl from Citrus County whose smiling face beneath a fuzzy purple hat had been flashed across television screens across the nation.

"I'm fed up," Richardson said of child abductions. "I'm fed up enough to do something about it. I can't stand it anymore."

Almost 300 people turned out for the inaugural Jessica Lunsford Run, a 5-mile run/1-mile walk along Bayshore Boulevard that took place under a cloudless blue sky.

The route ended at the St. Pete Times Forum, where there was face painting, a clown, a giant inflatable slide and booths where children could get identification cards and fingerprints made. Runners and walkers posed for pictures with Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, who wore a black leather biker jacket featuring his girl's face on the back.

"It always feels good to bring awareness to people," Lunsford said. "This is the good stuff. It beats lobbying."

After Jessica's murder, Lunsford quit his job as a truck driver and has spent the last year traveling the country, pushing for Jessica's law, which changes the way the state punishes and monitors sex offenders.

He has been to 12 states and lobbied in Washington, D.C., four times. He used the opportunity Saturday to stress the importance of getting identification cards - and maintaining a clear and current photograph of children.

The picture of Jessica in her purple hat had been taken a week before her murder. She and her dad had stopped at Wal-Mart for a digital camera before heading to the county fair.

He won the hat and a purple stuffed dolphin by throwing darts at a balloon. He snapped the photograph of Jessica in her hat as they rode on the sky ride.

Days later, Jessica was abducted from her bedroom and later found buried in a neighbor's yard, clutching her stuffed dolphin.

News of her disappearance and murder topped the news nationwide and angered many, including Richardson. She started the K.I.D.S. Foundation to fight to keep children safe and later contacted Lunsford about holding the charity run.

"A lot of people run for a lot of issues," Richardson said. "I felt compelled to run for children that are abused."

Richardson will organize runs in the states that pass Jessica's Law. Her next stop will be Charlotte, N.C., in the fall.

[Last modified April 2, 2006, 01:23:12]