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Eleven young peple participated in the children's portion of the Arizona Marathon on January 12.
by Craig Butler |
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Rebecca Abraham, Joe and Gina Briones, Maggie and Lily Engel, Meghan and Hana Foe, Hannah Kimball, Kristen Okada, Shivani Shrivastav and Jasmine Truong ran as “CAF Kids.” They set up an online fund raising page at www.firstgiving.com/2008azcafkids, and asked friends and family members to sponsor them in the race, hoping to raise $1500 to donate to CAF. They must have been very persuasive; as of this writing, they had raised over $2400! (Click here if you want to add to that total!) “This was Dad’s idea,” says Meghan Foe, age 11 and a thalassemia patient herself. “He was inspired by Frank Somma running in the NYC Marathon to raise funds for CAF. He also got a lot of help and encouragement from Alyssa Youngerman (CAF’s National Fund Raiser), who patiently coached him on the fundraising process.” Getting friends to join up turned out to be easier than expected. “They all agreed to participate as soon as I asked them,” Meghan says. Asked about what she thought of the experience, Meghan said, "I like it. This is the second marathon we’ve run for CAF. It's a lot fun and a very enriching experience. I feel I’ve done something good, and it's great to run with my friends. I really feel lucky that all of my friends support me in this." The marathon is set up for adults, but kids aged 6-12 are allowed to sign up and run the last mile of the course. “Star Wars” characters join the runners for that last mile to help lead the way to the finish. The weather was sunny and clear, and nearly 2500 turned out for the event. There were plenty of snacks at the Finish Line Celebration for hungry and thirsty runners, as well as entertainment from the hip-hop dance crew Foot Klan, Howler the Coyote and the Pack dance team. "We are so inspired by these kids,” says Gina Cioffi, Esq., CAF National Executive Director. “By putting their hearts and energy into this marathon, they give our patients the courage and motivation to themselves stay healthy and compliant." |
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| Cooley's Anemia Foundation, Inc. TEL: 800 522-7222 FAX: 212 279-5999 info@cooleysanemia.org | ||||||
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