It is again one of our favorite times of the year.  The time in which we get to support an organization that has become our passion. We shared that we had a close family friend who was diagnosed with cancer (leukemia) and became a St. Jude patient himself.  We are happy to report that he is still cancer free and in remission!!  Watching the amazing care he has received and spending time with the family in the St. Jude wing of the hospital has only strengthened that passion we have to continue to help and give to St. Jude. The opportunity for him to receive his treatment right here has been a true blessing.  Without St. Jude that would not have been possible.  We feel that raising funds and running on July 17th, is such a small thing to do in comparison to what each of these children and their families are fighting through.   

To earn the privilege of participating in this event, each runner must raise $1000. We are hoping that we can far surpass this amount! 

As runners in the Washington to Peoria Run, we will join nearly 125 other runners to cover the distance from Washington to the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate in Peoria, a total distance equivalent to nearly a full marathon (26.2 miles).

Thanks to donations, no family ever receives a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food. Thanks to corporate donations and fundraisers, all of the costs of the run are covered, meaning every dollar we raise goes directly to St. Jude.

If you so choose, there are a couple ways to donate, either online at  http://peoriaruns.stjude.org/washington or by check you can give to any of us.  Checks are to be made payable directly to St. Jude. 

Even if you are unable to donate at this time, please come out and support us and all the St. Jude runners on August 5th. We would love to see you there to cheer us on!

Thanks for your support!

Sincerely,

Dari Zaiser, Dane & Audrey Ainsworth