Pumpkin Trot fundraiser to benefit Hyatt's Angels set for Oct. 26
The first Pumpkin Trot, a 5K run/fun walk to raise funds for the not-for-profit charity Hyatt's Angels, is set for 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, in Independence Grove Forest Preserve in Libertyville.
Hyatt's Angels, which was established in 2012, raises funds to provide financial and emotional assistance to families who have lost a child.
Runners and walkers who wish to participate are invited to register online, where they can pay their $30 registration fee. Children ages 8 and younger are free. All participants will receive a Hyatt's Angels T-shirt and the winner of each category will receive an award.
On-site registration opens at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the event at the forest preserve, 16400 Buckley Road.
Hyatt's Angels is named in memory of Hyatt Walker Fleegle, who died at 36 weeks gestation in May 2012 to parents Doug and Samantha Fleegle. No cause was ever determined, but it led to the Fleegles establishing this special charity that assists grieving parents by covering a child's burial expenses.
Since the founding of Hyatt's Angels, the funeral expenses of eight children have been funded. In addition, Hyatt's Angels made sizable contributions to the child care center Hyatt Fleegle would have attended, as well as to the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep photography service that works through hospitals with parents who have lost an infant at birth.
Most recently, Hyatt's Angels reached out to the Warren Township Supervisor's office, offering to cover the $4,000 burial expenses of an 11-year-old Waukegan child who remained in the morgue for a week while the community worked together to raise funds.
Samantha Strauts Fleegle is a former Libertyville resident and a graduate of Libertyville High School. She and her husband also have established Hyatt's Run With the Angels 5K Run/Fun Walk fundraisers in Orlando, Florida; Jennerstown, Pennsylvania; and Statesville, North Carolina.
Runners and walkers can register online for the Libertyville 5K Pumpkin Trot at runsignup.com/Race/IL/Libertyville/HyattsPumpkinTrot.
To learn more about Hyatt's Angels or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.hyattsangels.com, or contact Doug Fleegle at (704) 682-2228 or dougfleegle@gmail.com.