Crystal Shepherd has a passion for strong bodies and strong kids. And she has found a way to bring them together with The Midsummer’s Night Event in support of her youth program, the Omni Youth Project.

At Saturday’s Midsummer’s Night Event, Olympic-style lifters who have been training at local gyms will compete in a clean and jerk challenge. The male and female winners in the event will receive a $50 gift certificate to Optimal Living, a prepared food company in Lawrence. The event will also feature a timed body-weight challenge in which competitors run, do burpees and squats and lift their body weight on Olympic rings. Shepherd has done other events in town to support her youth project, including a 5K and a stair challenge.

The year’s event starts at 8 p.m. Saturday at Shepherd’s fitness center, Omni Universal Training in North Lawrence.

“It’s a fun and exciting event that’s kind of different than other things going on in Lawrence,” she said. The public is welcome to watch the competition at Omni.

The event’s purpose is to support the youth program she founded and directs, the Omni Youth Project. The program has evolved from a program Shepherd tried to launch with Lawrence public schools called Friends Don’t Let Friends Bully. While that program didn’t gain traction with the schools, Shepherd has more flexibility with her Omni Youth Project, which is at her fitness center on Wednesdays from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The free project is open to children ages 7 to 15 and teaches exercise techniques and weight-lifting etiquette and techniques. It also leaves time for play and supervised equipment use. Kids in attendance get a healthy snack. The program is in session now on Wednesday afternoons and is open to all interested families. During the school year, it will coincide with early release day for Lawrence public schools.

This fall, Shepherd plans to have a schedule of presenters for the Wednesday sessions, including KU athletes and medical professionals who work with athletes.

“Right now I’m just calling it a power play session,” she said. “Kids are invited to come, and I’ll teach them a few things with the equipment and let them do free play.”

Families interested in participating can stop by from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Omni Universal Training, 110 Riverfront Road