Residents of Omaha ran together during a 5K and 1K run to raise money for kids with cancer and their families at Lewis and Clark Landing.
Hy-Vee and Pinky Swear Foundation teamed up to orchestrate the fun run.
The Pinky Swear Foundation is a charitable organization that has been known to be a strong voice in the cancer community, garnering financial support and outreach to kids with cancer. They contribute to certain expenses like mortgage and rent payments, transportation, utilities, gas cards, food and family getaways or experiences.
Among Pinky Swear’s previous events was Hy-Vee Pinky Swear Kids Triathlons, which saw over 4,200 kids involved in the fun. They raised over $630,000. They decided to switch things up this year to keep it fresh by making the event a fun run. That way, more people could take part and they sure did. People of all ages made their way onto that finishing line, even some elderly runners. Over 1,000 people registered.
A bit of history on the Pinky Swear Foundation: It was created by Steve and Becky Chepokas to honor their son, Mitch, a victim of bone cancer who died when he was 9. Shortly before Mitch died, he asked his father to pinky swear that he would continue to help children with cancer just like him. Steve stayed true to that pinky swear.
Many families reaped the benefits of the Pinky Swear Foundation. Tim Songster, 9, from La Vista, Nebraska suffers from osteosarcoma in his leg, a form of bone cancer. This form of cancer is more prominent in children, primarily boys. To learn more about osteosarcoma, click here.
They were told from early on that Tim would have to get his leg amputated because of the exact location of the tumor and how large it was. The good doctors at Nebraska Medicine avoided that drastic measure at all costs and were able to get rid of the tumor and perform a bone transplant
Tim’s family received a special package in the mail from the Pinky Swear Foundation with goodies, gift cards and a special “hug.”
Tim’s mother Cheryl said,
“He was able to use those to buy things to take to the hospital to have something to do. He spent 60 days in the hospital recovering. He had a tech at the med center who was an osteosarcoma survivor. He’s an adult, but he was about Tim’s age when he got it, so that was encouraging.”
Running a marathon is tough but it’s all the more rewarding when it’s for a good cause. Every step toward that finish line is a contribution toward bettering the world in a small way. Just make sure you drink a lot of water and load up on carbs afterward.
Click here to learn more about the Pinky Swear Foundation.
