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The Hospital Hill Run is looking for racers with strong hearts — and good hearts.
The run, which marks its 35th anniversary in June, will be open to charities as a way to raise money. The idea is that runners will generate pledges and donations for their favorite nonprofit.
Enlisting charitable runners should not only help the charities but also increase participation in the run, said race director Beth Salinger.
“It’s a win-win situation,” she said.
Hospital Hill’s largest field was 4,173 runners in 1983, but it has dwindled over the years. Last year’s group, topping 3,500 participants, was the largest since 1991.
Many runners find inspiration in helping others, Salinger said. She certainly did a few years ago when she participated in Team in Training, a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Salinger said she thought a lot about her “patient hero,” a 6-year-old boy with leukemia.
“I thought about how he was going through chemotherapy and still smiling,” she said, “and how could I complain about having to get up and ride a bike?”
All the money raised for a charity during the Hospital Hill Run will go to the charity. And if a charity has 25 or more registered runners or walkers, it gets additional benefits. Among the perks: five complimentary entries for any of the run’s three events (half-marathon, 10K or 5K), discounted registration fees, a tent on race day near the start/finish line, and the chance to put something related to the charity in the runners’ goodie bags.
Many nonprofits depend on one or two signature fundraisers a year, said Mike Roberts, president of the Hospital Hill Run board.
“This means you don’t have to create a new fundraising event,” Roberts said.
For several years, the run has benefited the St. Luke’s Center for Women’s Health. Roberts declined to disclose how much the center has received, but he said the new charity program would not affect the contribution this year.
One group planning to participate is Quest to Walk, a spinal cord injury recovery facility to open in April in Overland Park. Its president and co-founder is John Teegarden, who suffered a spinal cord injury during surgery in 2004.
Teegarden ran the Hospital Hill Run several years ago. His two sisters and brothers also have participated several times.
“It’s a big event for our family,” Teegarden said.
This June, Teegarden is planning to be at the race again using a wheelchair and the help of his brother to raise money for Quest to Walk.
Although athletes using wheelchairs have participated before, this year’s race is the first to have a wheelchair division.
•For information about how charities can raise money through the run, contact Kristina Olkowski at 312-925-8600 or kristina@ hospitalhillrun.com.
Don’t forget…
Olympic champion Bruce Jenner will speak at a patrons luncheon held by the Heart of America Council of the Boy Scouts of America at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. For more information or to register, contact John Kuehn at jkuehn@ bsamail.org or go to patronluncheon. kintera.org.
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