September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Live Like Madison founder Laura Fedak said that is the goal of the second annual Flaminglo Family Fun Run/Walk
Stephanie Walcott | For the Exchange
LAURINBURG — The St. Andrews University campus was aglow Saturday night with luminaries and glow sticks as Live Like Madison, a local non-profit supporting pediatric cancer research, held their second annual Flaminglo Family Fun Run/Walk.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Live Like Madison founder Laura Fedak said that is the goal of this event.
“We are not trying to raise money with this event, but we want to raise awareness that cancer also affects children,” Fedak said. “Only 4 % of money raised for cancer research goes to pediatric cancer research. We want to help change that.”
The event started with games like basketball, soccer, cornhole and inflatable axe throwing set up around the large field in between the Vardell and LA buildings.
As the walk/run’s 8 p.m. start time neared, participants donned glow stick bracelets, necklaces, and lanyards included in the swag bags at the registration table. T-shirts and insulated cups were also included.
Before she signaled the start of the run, Fedak, founder of Live Like Madison, thanked the sponsors, volunteers, and participants for coming out and supporting the cause.
“We appreciate all of you here tonight,” Fedak said. “We could not do this without you.”
New to this year’s event was the 5k run while offering the option of a 1.5-mile walk. Last year, the course was 1.2 miles.
Winners of the 5k were ages 6-12, Emma Humble and Jonathan Reneau; ages 13-18, Jake Callahan; ages 40-49, Paige Humble and BJ Wilkins; and 50 and older, Lorie O’Brien and Tim Verhey. The overall winner was Emma Humble. Each received a medal for their victory.
More than 300 participants registered for the event which was originally scheduled on Sept. 14 but had to be postponed at the last minute due to unexpected torrential downpours. Many of these previously registered runners were unable to make it to the rescheduled event.
Another consequence of the storm was that over 1,500 luminaries were ruined, so there were fewer luminaries put out for this iteration. Each luminary represents a child who succumbed to cancer in the past year. A total of 80 luminaries were also purchased at $10 apiece by locals in memoriam of loved ones lost to cancer.
Live Like Madison, Inc. (LLM) is a 501(c)3 dedicated to raising funds for pediatric cancer research, supporting children and families impacted by the disease, and building awareness in communities through education and events. LLM was established to honor 7-year-old Madison Fedak who lost her life to osteosarcoma in December 2019 and was born out of a promise that Madison’s mother Laura made to her to do everything she could to fight the disease.
LLM’s programs include community blood drives in Madison’s hometown, Laurinburg, NC which potentially helped to save more than 4,000 lives to date. To learn more about LLM, visit livelikemadison.org