9th Annual Mary E. Smith 5K Fun Run Walk in Country Club Hills, IL Saturday July 7th @ 8am
On Saturday July 7th, 2018 at 8 am in Country Club Hills the Mary E Smith Foundation, Inc. will host its 9th Annual Brain Tumor Awareness 5K Fun Run/Walk. The event is hosted in conjunction with the city of Country Club Hills at the Community Park Walk Path in support of brain tumor awareness. Loved ones, survivors and friends in the brain tumor community have converged annually on the city in rememberance and in celebration of those who have been affected by the condition.
The event consist of a 5K timed walk or run, with prizes and finishers medals for participants. The event is FREE to attend, however the cost to run or walk is $30 for team participants or $35 for individual walkers or runners. We encourage everyone to come out at no cost, to experience the community health/wellness and business vendors that are onsite and ready to share their information and services. This year Franciscan Health and Ingalls Memorial Hospital are proud supporting health care organizations. It is a family friendly event with a kids area, face painting and games along with family friendly music for all. The event culminates with a memory and honor ceremony complete with a balloon release for those whom we have lost and those who have survived or are still in the fight with this condition.
The Mary E Smith Foundation is a nonprofit 501c3 charity created in memory of a Country Club Hills mother who lost her battle with the condition. Since it’s incorporation in 2008, the organization has contributed over $73,000 towards the fight to end brain tumors. Tiffany Smith-Woodson, President and daughter of the charities namesake remembers that “our family wanted to change our hurt into hope for others so no one else has to experience the loss that we did.” Under her leadership the organization has gone on to support under funded clinical research trials at Northwestern Brain Tumor Institute as well as providing financial assistance to brain tumor patients and their families. “As an organization we are most proud of our AIM HIGH initiative which drives new blood into the field of oncology and neurology by awarding scholarships to our future leaders in medicine.”
This year the organization awarded $4,000 to its MESF Scholars. Three of which are local to Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. The National Excellence in Science and Medicine Award was given to Homewood Flossmor Senior Khadija Harris. The Karen Lewis Chicago Teachers Union Excellence in Science Award winner was Rifah Nanjiba (Northside College Prep HS). Mikayla Dixon of Oak Park Riverforest High School has the distinction of being both a National Excellence in Science & Medicine Scholar and one of our #GivingTuesday 2017 book scholarship award winner. In addition the organization dedicates funds to patients or their family members who have experienced a brain tumor. The National Excellence in Academics and Community Service Award was proudly bestowed upon two survivor students in 2018; Shane Lockett (San Clemente HS in CA) and Kyle Schultz (Holmen HS in WI). The patient financial assistance grant was also awarded to the Kasten Family in North Carolina.