More than 1,200 runners, walkers and volunteers came out bright and early to support the programs at Casey Cares at our 7th Annual Casey Cares 5k Run/Walk at none other than Oriole Park at Camden Yards!
Friends and families and hard-core runners were out for a chance to run ON THE FIELD where our first-place Baltimore Orioles call home. All of the winners will be honored in a special pre-game ceremony when the Baltimore Orioles take on the Boston Red Sox on August 16th! SPOILER ALERT: One of the race winners was Megan Viviano, the wife our race emcee and WJZ Sports Director Mark Viviano! One age group winner was none other than Baltimore Ravens team president Dick Cass! Way to go, everyone!
For a complete list of results, click here: http://results.charmcityrun.com/content/casey-cares-5k-2016 Thanks Charm City Run for helping us organize such a well-run and fun race!
"This event is one of the highlights of our year as we get the rare opportunity to run on the field at Oriole Park at Camden Yards where our baseball heroes make awesome plays all season long, and we get to have fun while supporting a wonderful cause in Casey Cares," said Casey Cares founder and executive director Casey Baynes. "It truly tales a village to put on this race, and we could not do it without the amazing support from the Orioles and OriolesREACH, our Race Ambassadors Chris Davis and Jill Davis, our sponsors, staff and volunteers!"
While many of our participants came out to hang out with the Oriole Bird and to get a little fitness in on a Saturday morning, we know everyone was there to make a difference in the lives of critically ill children and their families. One family came out in force to support our Casey Cares child Meghan, who has been recovering from a bone-marrow transplant. Meghan spent several months in the PICU at Johns Hopkins Hospital recovering. Although she continues in her fight, she was not going to miss out on being at this event. She was supported by several family members, notably her mom, dad and sister, Mallory, but other relatives and lots of friends. Our friends at Ainsley's Angels brought special race chairs and had a runner dedicated to pushing Meghan across the finish line!
Another Casey Cares child, Damari, is recovering from a liver transplant. She knows firsthand how much Casey Cares does for our kids as she got a chance to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at an Orioles game this season and has had her spirits lifted through many Casey Cares activities and programs. She came out with mom and sister to walk the course and got a chance to meet Race Ambassador Jill Davis! Damari is not too excited that Jill's husband, Chris (better known as Baltimore Orioles first baseman Crush), is indeed married, but that's another story!
And still another group came out in memory of Gabriel, who passed away in January. A large contingent of participants including some who had never run a 5K before, were out in full force to keep his memory alive.
This is #WhyCaseyCares is here, to provide families with little moments and lasting memories for critically ill children and their families, and we rely on fundraisers like out 5K to spread the word about our programs and to continue growing our programs. We have never turned away a family for financial reasons and YOU are the reason why.
Special thanks go to Horizon Services for all of their support in making today such a huge success, and all of our sponsors, big and small, for making a difference in the lives of critically ill children and their families. A complete list of all of our race sponsors and donors can be found here: http://caseycares.org/events/baltimore-orioles-5k-runwalk. We also want to thank the Buck Family as the top 5K fundraiser, collecting $2,585 --- beating their goal of $2,000!
Finally, a huge thank you to our 5k race chair and board member Faith Johnson! Thanks so much for all you do for Casey Cares and for making today a wonderful day!
Please share your stories from the day on our social platforms and use the hashtags #caseycares5k and #WhyCaseyCares.
We can't wait to see all of you at the Yard next year!
