St. Charles Kick-A-Thon returning this year

After being sidelined last year because of the pandemic, the annual St. Charles Kick-A-Thon - a joint effort between St. Charles North and East high school dance teams to raise money to help fight cancer - is set for Oct. 8 at St. Charles East High School.

The 27th annual St. Charles Kick-A-Thon will take place at the football game between St. Charles North and St. Charles East high schools. This year's event will benefit two nonprofits - St. Charles-based Cal's Angels, which grants wishes, raises awareness and funds research to help kids fighting cancer, and Fox Valley Food for Health, which provides meals to nourish to the seriously ill while empowering young adults in preparing the meals.

Zac Cesario, executive director for Fox Valley Food for Health, and Cal's Angels president and co-founder Stacey Wahlberg spoke to dance team members as part of a kickoff event Friday at St. Charles North High School.

"Teens like yourself provide these meals to people going through one of the hardest times of their lives, to make them feel like they don't have to worry about the stress of preparing the food," Cesario told the students. "They know that their community, St. Charles, more specifically, where this program was founded, is there to support them."

As he noted, the Kick-A-Thon has raised more than $200,000 for Fox Valley Food for Health.

"We spend about $50,000 on food alone," Cesario said. "So for four years, you guys have funded our food that goes to the community. Last year, we did 17,000 meals for our families in need in the Fox Valley area. So you guys raised that money to allow us to do that ... You guys have been the backbone of what we have been doing."

This year, for the first time, funds raised by the Kick-A-Thon will also benefit Cal's Angels. The group was founded in 2007 after Wahlberg's stepson, Cal Sutter, a South Elgin Little League all-star, lost his battle with acute myelogenous leukemia at the age of 13.

"Forty-six children every day in the United States are diagnosed with cancer," Wahlberg said. "That's an awful lot. There's only been three new drugs approved since 1980 for our children."

The Kick-A-Thon celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018 after surpassing $1 million in donations in 2017. Last year was the only year the event had to be canceled.

To donate, go to gofundme.com/f/stcharles-kickathon.