‘A Silent Group’: Freed to Run Challenge to support housing-related civil legal services for NE Florida seniors
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dozens of lawyers, judges, bankers, and other community leaders will run around or bike to the Duval County Courthouse on Saturday and Sunday in the Freed to Run Challenge, which benefits the Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Shelter for Elders endowment in support of housing-related civil legal services for Northeast Florida seniors.
The event is led by Gunster shareholder Mike Freed, who spearheaded a six-year, $2.25 million, multi-marathon fundraising effort for JALA’s Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership. Freed, an attorney, was not a natural-born athlete when he launched “Freed to Run.”
“I’m not the fastest guy in the world,” Freed said with a chuckle. “I haven’t been a lifelong athlete, so I don’t have the bumps and bruises that a lot of basketball players and football players have.”
Challenges in previous years have benefitted pediatric patients experiencing medical battles. Freed said helping indigent seniors experiencing housing-related issues is especially important. Sometimes, this group of individuals is overlooked.