Hundreds reach out to support Friends of karen

Hundreds of Friends of Karen supporters are lacing up sneakers to be part of the team participating in the 13th Annual Walk/Run for Friends of Karen at the Long Island Marathon, taking place on May 4th and 5th at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow. This year’s events include a 5K Walk/Run on Saturday, May 4 with a 10K, half and full marathons on Sunday, May 5. The team, made up of corporate employees and community members, is excited to support Friends of Karen, the NY tri-state organization who assists local families when a child is diagnosed with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses.

The Walk/Run for Friends of Karen started in 2007 with 25 participants and was spearheaded by Evelyn Anderson, a former Friends of Karen mother, who wanted to celebrate her son Luke’s life by running a race in his honor. Luke was diagnosed with leukemia as a toddler and is now seventeen and has participated in the 5K for the past six years. In the years since its inception, the Walk/Run has grown to include close to 250 participants on the team, corporate sponsors and more than 1,500 supporters throughout the country. Funds raised from the Walk/Run will directly benefit families who are assisted by Friends of Karen’s Family Support program - dedicated professionals including social workers, expressive arts therapists, and child life specialists – to ensure that families never have to make this difficult journey alone.

“This outpouring of support for the work we do is heartwarming,” said Nancy Mariano, Regional Director of Friends of Karen. “We are so grateful for all those who plan to support our efforts. We encourage others to join our team and share in the joy when we all cross that finish line together for the hundreds of Friends of Karen children and their families we help every day.”

About Friends of Karen: Friends of Karen is a non-profit organization that provides emotional, financial and advocacy support for children with cancer or other life-threatening illness and their families in order to keep them stable, functioning, and able to cope. For families living in the New York tri-state region, Friends of Karen gives them more time for what’s most important: each other. The organization helps hundreds of ill children and their families every month, at no cost to them.

For more information about Friends of Karen or this special event, please call Rebecca Mowl at 631-473-1768 ext. 303 or visit www.friendsofkaren.org.