GRASONVILLE — The proceeds of a Sept. 29 walk and run hosted by the Island Athletic Club will benefit Compass Regional Hospice.
The walk and run will be held on Saturday, September 29, 2018 and will begin at the Island Athletic Club, 448 Kent Narrow Way N., Grasonville.
Island Athletic Club owner John Murphy said, “Like many people I know, hospice became a part of my life when someone dear to me became ill. My family cared for my mother as much as we could after she was diagnosed, but eventually she needed full-time care. It wasn’t until my mom qualified for hospice that our family received any significant relief. The hospice caregivers took care of my mother, but they also took care of my father, giving him a chance to rest, and they dealt with medical and dignity issues that were sometimes uncomfortable for family members. That gave us all a sense of great relief. Hospice was a ray of sunshine at a very hard time for my family and for that I will be eternally grateful to hospice and their wonderful volunteers.”
The first group of runners will start the race at 9 a.m. Those running the 10K course will begin first, with 5K runners beginning three minutes later.
Registration is encouraged in advance at www.IACRun4Hospice.EventBrite.com. On-site registration will begin at 8 a.m. Sept. 29. Registration is $35 in advance and $40 the day of the race. The race is open to all ages.
The course will begin at the Island Athletic Club and follow the Cross Island Trail, with turnarounds just before Gibson’s Grant for those running the 5K and Shore United Bank for those running the 10K.
Following the race, there will be an award ceremony with winners announced in age brackets, including children up to age 12, ages 13 to 19, ages 20 to 29, ages 30 to 39, ages 40 to 49, ages 50 to 59, ages 60 to 69, and adults ages 70 and older, as well as the fastest male and female runners. The race will be timed using the professional MYLAPS bib-tag timing system. The awards ceremony will be emceed by DJ Don Harrision of Severna Park.
Two-time Special Olympics Maryland gold medalist Robert Wallop will be attending the event, as well. Wallop received his gold medals in dance. He will be performing with some of his colleagues as part of RythmXpressMD LLC, an integrated dance team representing Maryland and the USA at the local, state and national level, as well as Special Olympics.
“We chose to support Compass Regional Hospice because we want to give back,” said race organizer Mark Fromert. “We need to be there to help our elderly and the sick as they transition. I’ve seen it work. We are very grateful to have access to this benefit, and so glad to have Compass Regional Hospice so close.”
Fromert said he hopes the race will draw more than 250 runners and his goal is to raise $8,000 for Compass Regional Hospice.
To learn more about the Sept. 29 race and to register, visit www.IACRun4Hospice.EventBrite.com. Fromert said he also is seeking sponsors for the race.
Current sponsors include Spunkwear and owners Steve and Sheilah Ruppert, Annapolis Family Physical Therapy, Totally Fit by Char, 360 Strong Training, FIXD Garage Door Services, Robert Woolley and The Edge Arena and Training Academy, Mears, Harris Crab House, Annie’s Paramount Steak and Seafood House, The Holiday Inn in Grasonville, Economy Remodeling, Custom Canvas Coverings, Rosendale Realty-April Heim, Remax Realty-Lisa Quinn and Bayside Insurance-Megan Loveless.
As a nonprofit organization, Compass Regional Hospice relies on financial support from the community to provide services not covered by Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance. Those services include room and board at Compass Regional Hospice’s hospice centers in Centreville and Chestertown, grief support services offered through the Hope and Healing Center and other patient support services, such as the Bridges program, a nonmedical support program that offers encouragement for individuals who have been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness.
Community events are a wonderful way to show support for your local community and to help raise the much‐needed funds. For more information, sponsorship information or if you are interested in hosting an event to benefit Compass Regional Hospice, contact Kenda Leager, development officer, at 443‐262‐4106 or kleager@compassregionalhospice.org.
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~ Compass Regional Hospice – Care on your terms
Compass Regional Hospice is a fully licensed, independent, community-based nonprofit organization certified by Medicare and the state of Maryland and accredited by the Joint Commission. Since 1985, Compass Regional Hospice has been dedicated to supporting people of all ages through the challenge of living with a life-limiting illness and learning to live following the death of a loved one. Today, the organization is a regional provider of hospice care and grief support in Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties. “Care on your terms” is the promise that guides staff and volunteers as they care for patients in private residences, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and the residential hospice centers in Centreville and Chestertown. Grief support services are offered to children, adults and families of patients who died under hospice care, as well as members of the community who are grieving the loss of a loved one, through The Hope and Healing Center. For more information about Compass Regional Hospice, visit compassregionalhospice.org.