April road races to benefit 2 local nonprofits

Hundreds of people will be walking and running through the streets of Canton next month as they help to raise money for two good causes. Both of the fundraisers, which have been held in town before, will benefit young people.

Waterfall Bar & Grill, located at 2 Forge Pond, will host a “Not Quite the Marathon” 5K on Sunday, April 19, to benefit Cops for Kids with Cancer. “We are excited to host this charity run because Cops for Kids with Cancer is a great charity that gives 100 percent of funds raised to a family in need,” said Brigid Meehan, owner of the restaurant.

Event Director Laura Donahue said that one family will receive $5,000 to help with the bills and financial challenges that families face when one of their children undergoes cancer treatment.

“One parent has to take time off to take the child to appointments,” Donahue said. “They fall behind on the bills. They have to catch up on the rent. The money helps with the financial end. We can’t make cancer go away, but we can help the family breathe a little easier.”

The “Not Quite the Marathon” 5K starts at 9 a.m. and is open to 175 runners. Registration is $30 and can be done online or at 8 a.m. the morning of the race. The course goes down Washington Street to Sherman Street, where runners will take a right onto Chapman Street and return to the restaurant via Washington Street. There will be a party afterwards at Waterfall with DJ Pat Lally.

Jamie Cobb, owner of Honey Dew Donuts on Neponset Street, will provide coffee and snacks for the party. There will also be raffles with a range of prizes, such as gift baskets from Paula’s Package Store, gift certificates to Waterfall and other local restaurants, and gift cards for Kohl’s and Cross Fit. Registration information can be found at www.active.com/canton-ma/running/races/not-quite-the-marathon-2015.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, April 12, Dave and Karen Foley, owners of Foley’s Backstreet Grille in Stoughton, will host the third annual Foley’s Backstreet Grille 5K Road Race to benefit the Massachusetts Hospital School. Registration is $20 prior to April 12 and $25 on the day of the event.

Last year’s race and the charity golf tournament that the Foley’s sponsor for MHS raised between $14,000 and $15,000 for the school, according to MHS Chief Executive Director Brian Devin. The funds were used for three distinct goals. The first was to send a team of student-athletes to the New York state games. MHS is the only school outside of New York that sends a team to compete.

The money also allowed Devin to host the school’s prom at Lantana’s in Randolph and funded a partial scholarship for a student to attend the school’s summer program. “I wouldn’t be able to do the events if it wasn’t for them,” Devin said of the Foleys’ generosity. “We can do things we otherwise could not.”

The course for the Foley’s 5K starts and ends on the MHS campus, with part of it covering streets near the school. The Foleys will donate food and bring their staff to help at the post-race party. This year, the celebration will be held at the school’s new Chariot Pavilion.

MHS holds a summer camp each year for the disabled community and holds activities and serves lunch outdoors. In the past students and counselors gathered in a tented area with a gravel floor. The Flatley Foundation donated money so that a more permanent structure could be built for the school’s programs. Students submitted their choices for the pavilion’s name. Mary Flatley chose Chariot as the winner.

Along with the food, there will be music and raffle prizes. To register online for the Foley’s Backstreet Grille 5K Road Race, go to www.backstreetgrille.com.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Mar 12 2015. Filed under Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.