A fun run/walk at Creekside Elementary School on Saturday, March 22 will encourage community members to adopt a healthier lifestyle, the event’s organizer says.

The America Rocks 3K, presented by the Salvation Army and Suffolk Partnership for a Healthy Community, starts with registration at 8 a.m., followed by a Zumba warm-up at 8:30 a.m., before the actual race begins at 9 a.m.

LaTasha Colander Clark, an Olympic gold medalist in track who joined the Salvation Army in Suffolk late last year, said that the event — hence its name — is part of the America Rocks awards program she initiated, honoring individuals making a difference in the lives of others.

“We are putting on the America Rocks 3K so we can get youth and children involved with fitness and having a healthy lifestyle,” she said.

The fourth America Rocks award was bestowed in March, she said, and the next one will be awarded at Creekside as part of the 3K.

“They wanted to become a part of it; they wanted to host it,” she said of the event being held at Creekside, in North Suffolk off Shoulders Hill Road. “We were looking for a location where we could get kids involved.”

Registration for the event costs $10 for children and $20 for adults. Registrations can be sent to tasha@lctwf.org, and are due by Wednesday, March 19.

Professional timing, a Nike giveaway, entertainment, bottled water and snacks are all covered in the registration cost. Entertainment will include a DJ and bounce house, Clark said.

“It’s a celebration of just being fit — and we want to invite everyone to get fit,” she said. “We are trying to get families excited about have a healthy lifestyle.”

Clark said a 3K was better suited to children than the customary five-kilometer length of such events.

“Some of them can do 5K, but we are catering to a 3K,” she said. “We have already measured the course, and everyone (at the school) is excited about getting involved.”

The last America Rocks award for the school year will be given out in May, Clark said. She reported the program had been getting “a good number” of nominations.

“It has been excellent,” she said. “As soon as we put the information out, we received the first one.

“The schools were ready — they were excited about it. Everybody started getting on board and emailing.”