Because of our wonderful support 8th Annual Williams Walk & Run was a fantastic success!

	presented by Elekta

View the results of the 5K & 10K | View Photos from the 8th Annual William's Walk & Run | Thanks to our Sponsors!

Brrrr was the sound murmured by staff and volunteers on the morning of Saturday, November 4, 2006 as setup began for the 8th Annual William’s Walk & Run Presented by Elekta.  Shivers quickly turned to warmth as we saw the energy of all those who came out to join us for our walk/run celebrating life and honoring memories while simultaneously sneaking in a little exercise. 

As we always promise, there was something for all ages - from face painting by one of BTFC’s amazing brain tumor survivors, Randy English, to all the carbs and bananas one could desire in a morning, to special appearances by Sleeping Beauty and Dorothy (courtesy of Dream Friends for Kids).  And what would William’s Walk & Run be without the shuffle of feet on the ground to music conducive to line dancing of some sort.  The crowd stayed pumped up and informed thanks to DaveFM’s very high-spirited Denzil.

We were so proud to see so many new names, teams and faces like 16-yr-old Terrell Singleton who was diagnosed this year with an ependymoma, in addition to the numerous returning friends and families of BTFC.  Congratulations to Walking 4 Greg (in memory of Gregory Miller), Catie’s Cruisers (in honor of Catie Wilkins), Tony’s Trailblazers (in honor of Tony Velo), Amber’s Amblers (in honor of Amber Roper) and Blake’s Buddies (in memory of Blake Porter) as the largest teams. 

For the second year in a row, our online fundraising initiatives proved to be very successful.  Thanks to everyone who took time to create a fundraising page to send to friends and loved ones in an effort to help raise funds for programs and services offered by the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children.  You are not only helping us continue to do great work within the pediatric brain tumor population, but taking steps toward helping raise awareness of our very important cause.  A special thanks to Lisa Hollingsworth working to raise funds in memory of Blake Porter; to Cathy Velo, mother of Tony Velo (the “Future Dr. McDreamy”); Jillian Acker who took on BTFC as her Bat Mizvah project; to Phil Kendall, Tricia, Michael and Chayton Williamson of Chayton’s Choo Choo’s and 17-year-old brain tumor survivor and future neurosurgeon, Jim Martin as our top five fundraisers.  Combined, they raised more than $22,000.  Please know that whether online or via mail, all donations, not matter how big or small, were greatly appreciated.

While we believe that William’s Walk & Run will continue, for years to come, to be a huge success, this year’s event was greater thanks to the wonderful folks of Elekta.  They participated in our event as though each staff person had been personally touched by pediatric brain tumor disease.  From having a team of walkers and runners to raising additional funds, to providing volunteer support, we are so grateful to have had their support.  A special thanks to Michelle Lee, Marketing Programs Manager at Elekta for making this happen.     

As we finalize reports and mull over all that happened up to and during the 8th Annual William’s Walk & Run, we would be remiss if we did not thank our and greatly dedicated Volunteer Coordinator, Erin Renfroe and our many amazing volunteers.  We are also very grateful to our many sponsors. 

View the results of the 5K & 10K | View Photos from the 8th Annual William's Walk & Run

Thanks to our wonderful sponsors.