The McLean Family Walkathon will be a part of McLean Day on May 18 for the first time this year.
It is a 2K walk to be sponsored by the New Dominion Women’s Club (NDWC) to raise money for two charities, Life with Cancer and Langley Residential Support Services.
The idea developed last year, when the club was seeking a fund-raiser to anchor its year of activities, said Joan Preux, who suggested the walk.
She said the club was looking for a fund-raiser “that was different from what we have done before, that we could continue year after year, and that would benefit the community as well as the club.”
The club’s fundraising committee “has been made up of multiple talents, and people that are eager to make contributions both to the club and the broader community,” she said.
HAVING PARTICIPATED in the Breast Cancer 5K in Washington, Preux said she was seeking an event that would “give people a broader sense of accomplishment.”
“A lot of people today feel that just writing a check is not an adequate way of expressing your enthusiasm,” she said.
When she contacted the McLean Community Center to ask how they had initiated the 8K run on McLean Day, she learned there was a desire in the community for a walk as a less intensive event.
So the club decided to combine their first walkathon with the annual 8K run on McLean Day.
“We hope it is the first of ongoing walkathons,” said Preux. “We hope to do it in conjunction with McLean Day. It seems to be a good match.
“It is a way for the club to be more outward, rather than inward, with their fundraising,” said Preux.
“A silent auction is a lot of fun, but it tends to draw from within the club, rather than the broader community.”
“The broader community is also a part of the support of these groups. It is not just New Dominion saying this is a good cause. It is a real community, interactive type of experience.”
The NDWC spun off from the McLean Woman’s Club. Many of its 80 members are formerly full-time professionals who have left the workforce to accommodate their family needs.
THE WALK WILL START from the tennis courts in Lewinsville Park at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 18. Registration forms are available at the McLean Community Center, Dolley Madison Library, and Spring Hill Recreation Center.
The fee is $20 for individuals, and includes one t-shirt.
The fee for a family is $40 and includes two t-shirts. Additional shirts will be available at $6 each.
Registrants will be accepted through the day of the walk, but t-shirts are guaranteed only to those who register by May 1.
Corporate sponsorships were also sold, with the names and logos of the sponsors to decorate the t-shirts. Kimberly Briggs.
The beneficiaries are Life with Cancer, the Jennifer Hakim Fund, which offers education and support to families living with cancer.
Langley Residential Support Services provides support for mentally retarded adults.