Hundreds of runners competed in a 5K race to raise money for the Fayetteville National Cemetery on Saturday.
The fourth annual Veterans Memorial 5K raises funds for the Regional National Cemetery Improvement Corporation, a non-profit organization that wants to buy land adjacent to the Fayetteville cemetery. The cemetery is expected to run out of space for burials in the next few years so it needs to expand.
"The federal government typically doesn't spend any money on purchasing land to keep them open," said race director Wesley Stites. "They maintain them, but they don't expand them. So, for the past 25 years, our organization has been dedicated to trying and keep the cemetery from closing to new interments."
State representative Charlie Collins (R-Fayetteville) said the cemetery may be getting some help from the Arkansas state legislature.
"We here in Arkansas have a General Improvement Fund, where through a grant application process you can get support for projects which help the community," Collins said. "And, we're in the process of completing an application, and I'm confident we'll be able to help pay off that debt to the tune of about $3,000."
Collins said if the request is approved, the RNCIC could see the money in a couple of months.