ENGELHARD — An Engelhard native is utilizing his athletic ability and stepping up to raise money for Hyde County Hotline.

Ben Cahoon, who now resides in Nags Head, is planning a “Lake Run,” in which he will be running around the eastern side of Lake Mattamuskeet March 12 to support the hotline.

Cahoon is the founder of Cahoon and Kasten Architects in Nags Head. He has set up a GoFundMe page for supporters to make donations to the cause.

Hyde County Hotline is a 24-hour crisis line dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence and sexual victimization to heal and get away from their abusers, as well as educating the public about this kind of violence to eradicate it.

There were four domestic violence-related homicides in North Carolina in 2016, as of Jan. 27, according to the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence. There were a total of 54 homicides during the year of 2015.

“Hyde County Hotline works against domestic violence in rural Hyde County,” Cahoon said on his GoFundMe page. “They’re a great cause and I want to support them. And I love to run.”

So far, only $100 out of Cahoon’s $1,000 goal has been raised — and that was contributed from Cahoon himself — but news of the cause is spreading. The page’s web link has been shared 39 times online.

The “Lake Run” complements the second annual Race Across the Lake scheduled for April 16, which is a community-wide effort to also raise money for Hyde County Hotline.

For more information or to donate to Ben Cahoon’s cause, visit www.gofundme.com/5jzaeu7u.