12 Oaks Foundation’s Matt’s Mile aids kids with cancer
Submitted by 12 Oaks Foundation
The 12 Oaks Foundation will host its fourth annual Matt’s Mile and 5K Run/Walk at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, in the Prairie Crossing subdivision of Grayslake.
Every fall the event draws hundreds of runners, walkers, volunteers and other supporters to the prairie and trails surrounding Lake Aldo Leopold. All proceeds go to 12 Oaks, a nonprofit charity dedicated to helping children in families coping with cancer.
Grayslake residents Steve and Julie Hupp founded 12 Oaks in 2010 after losing their 13-year-old son Matt to Birkitt lymphoma, a rare form of cancer. While Matt was undergoing treatment, the Hupps witnessed firsthand the devastating effects cancer has not only on the child afflicted but all children in the family.
They decided to create a charity in Matt’s honor that would help fund extracurricular activities so kids can stay active in their communities during the fight against cancer.
“I know Matt would be really proud of the 12 Oaks mission and how many children we’ve been able to help,” Julie Hupp said.
Her son loved to play almost any kind of sport, she said, and acquired from them many of the attributes he needed to battle his disease, including patience and perseverance.
The 12 Oaks Foundation supports grant-in-aid programs offered through community organizations in Wisconsin and Illinois, and also grants requests to individual families applying through the charity’s website.
Eligible families have children ages 8-18 whose participation in extracurricular activities is at risk of being interrupted by the financial strain of cancer.
Already in 2013, the foundation has given 60 percent more than last year to individual families and organizations, according to Hupp. That increase has allowed the charity to reach out and help nearly twice as many kids, she said.
This year’s Matt’s Mile and 5K event includes a one-mile race for children ages 13 and younger and a 5K run/walk for participants of all ages. All runners are chip-timed. Held on mostly crushed gravel trails, the 5K course takes participants past an organic farm, open prairie, horse pastures and a stable, then around Lake Aldo Leopold.
An awards ceremony follows the race, and the top three male and female runners in each age bracket will take home medals. New this year, the kids’ one-mile run will feature two age brackets, ages 10-13 and ages 9 and younger.
Anyone who can beat Matt Hupp’s fastest one-mile race time of 6:13, or his fastest 5K race time of 21:27, will also be automatically entered in a raffle to win a gift basket and other prizes.
Registration is $25 for the one-mile race and $35 for the 5K. Each registration fee includes a T-shirt, free beer or soda, complementary dinner from Emil’s or Papa John’s, and a post-race party featuring music by Memory Makers.
Tickets to attend the party only, including food, drinks and entertainment, are $15.
To register for Matt’s Mile and 5K or make a donation to 12 Oaks, visit www.12oaksfoundation.org.
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