St. Jude Walk/Run beats fundraising goal

St. Jude Walk/Run participants
It’s the second year the Walk/Run was held at Hancock Stadium. (Adam Studzinski/WJBC)

By Adam Studzinski

NORMAL – The celebration was underway well before the St. Jude Walk/Run was even started Saturday at Illinois State’s Hancock Stadium.

Regional Development Representative Corinne Olsen as of Saturday morning they had already reached passed their $80,000 fundraising goal.

“So now we’re actually stretching to reach $100,000 this morning,” she said.

Olsen explained that’s well above the roughly $68,000 the event raised last year.

“It was the first year that we made the change from November to September and the first year we changed venues and everything,” said Olsen. “Last year was down a little bit (from) previous years.”

While the event is labeled as a Walk/Run, Olsen said it’s really more than that. There are events for all ages to participate in.

“This should be a family friendly event. You should be able to come to this event whether you have kids, don’t have kids, you’re a runner, you’re not a runner,” Olsen said.

The funds raised go towards St. Jude’s Midwest operations in Peoria and Memphis.

Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…