Students Looking for Volunteer Hours? Walk/run for a cause in the 7th Annual Stepping Up To Wellness!
In 2011, it is estimated that there will be over 64,000 people in Illinois diagnosed with cancer. This means there aren't many of us who can say they haven't been directly affected by cancer. This May, Northbrook-area high school students will have the opportunity to “step up” to cancer and make their support known. The Cancer Wellness Center personally invites students to participate in its 7th annual Stepping Up to Wellness Walk/Run to raise awareness and funds about the organization's many free programs and services. Students can form teams and join in various walk/run events to take place Sunday, May 22, 2011 at Independence Grove, 16400 W. Buckley Road in Libertyville, IL.
The Cancer Wellness Center provides services for cancer patients and their families to help them get the most out of life while living with cancer. Over the past years, younger participants have joined the walk, but this year the Center is calling on local students to help make the event the most successful ever! Participating in the event is an easy way for students to begin fulfilling service requirements for honor society inductions or high school graduations. The Cancer Wellness Center invites students to join the fun in one of two ways: by volunteering to help organize race-day activities or organizing a team to participate in the run/walks.
The Center needs student volunteers to help run the games and activities that will be scattered along the course of the Family Fun Walk. Think lots of kids with lots of energy, which is why the Center really wants students to volunteer in this capacity. Volunteers are also needed to get the crowd going with group stretches and cheers during pre-race warm-ups. Cancer Wellness Center is all about living positively in the face of adversity and knows that having students present will help capture the type of enthusiasm needed to make this event a success.
By recruiting a team of friends, teammates, and classmates to enter the 10K/5K run or 5K walk, students can align their fundraising powers to make a tangible impact. The Center hopes this will encourage conversations amongst students not only about cancer, but on wellness in general. On the Cancer Wellness Center website, students can create custom team pages to assist in raising money and collecting donations. The Center invites teens to get creative and create one-of-a-kind events, like a spring car wash or bake sale to boost fundraising efforts. Visit www.events.org/steppinguptowellness/ to register and begin raising money!
Northbrook's Cancer Wellness Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those touched by cancer through educational classes and support services. The Center offers counseling, networking and support groups for patients and families, nutritional guidance, educational classes and seminars, exercise and mind and body classes, and access to an extensive library of resources. The organization depends 100 percent on the generosity of its donors and on annual events, such as the walk/run to raise funds so it can continue to offer all of these services free of charge.
Show up early to warm-up and stretch to the tunes of a live deejay. Runners: both the 10K and 5K runs will be timed and certified. Please note the schedule for race times:
• Volunteer Call Time: 6:30am
• 10K Run: 8:30am (Check-in begins at 7am)
• 5K Run/Walk: 9am (Check-in begins at 7am)
• Marcia Slotky 1 Mile Family Walk: 10am (Check-in begins at 8:45)
Each paid participant will receive a Stepping Up to Wellness t-shirt and race sack. Pre-registered event participants must pick up these items prior to race day. Packets will be available for pickup on Friday, May 20 and Saturday, May 21 from 12pm to 6pm at Running Away Multisport, 800 Waukegan Road in Deerfield. Registration fees are as follows:
• 10K Run and 5K Run/Walk: $30 (pre-registration) or $35 (day of)
• Marcia Slotky 1 Mile Family Walk: $10 (pre-registration) or $15 (day of)