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ALGONQUIN – “Show me your bears!”
With that, 400 stuffed bears of all shapes and sizes appeared in the raised hands of the students on the gym floor at Eastview Elementary School.
Monday was the kickoff rally for the second annual Kids Run for the Bear, a one-mile run that begins at 8:30 a.m. April 21 at Eastview, 540 Longwood Drive, Algonquin.
The run, open to all District 300 students age 11 and younger, will support the Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
Bear Necessities was founded in 1992 by Kathleen A. Casey, the foundation’s CEO and president. The foundation is named in memory of her 8-year-old son, Barrett “Bear” Krupa, an Eastview student who died after a 5½-year battle with cancer.
Eastview Principal Jim Zursin said this year’s Kids Run for the Bear will raise funds for the foundation’s Bear Hugs program. He said a Bear Hug is a customized experience that brightens the life of a child dealing with cancer.
“The Bear Hugs program also provides immediate financial support for families,” Zursin said.
Eastview raised nearly $5,000 for Bear Necessities last year.
Zursin noted that Kids Run for the Bear used to be part of the fall communitywide Run for the Bear.
“Making it for kids makes it unique,” Zursin said. “It’s something we can all do together to raise money for pediatric cancer and kids with cancer.”
Zursin will participate in the run despite being hit by a car while jogging in February. He suffered a concussion, received 11 stitches and had a sore shoulder for a while.
He said he was “very lucky” he wasn’t more seriously injured.
Guest speaker at Monday’s rally was Josh Brent, 16, of Lake in the Hills.
Brent, a student at Crystal Lake South High School, was diagnosed with a brain tumor and has been cancer-free for seven years.
He described how Bear Necessities “has done so much for me,” ranging from throwing a party for him in his hospital room with family and friends, to a limo ride to a Bears game, where he and his family sat on the 50-yard line.
He also received an autographed Brian Urlacher Bears jersey.
Bear Necessities also arranged a walk-on role for him in the Chicago theater production of “Shear Madness.”
“Bear Necessities helps us kids feel good again,” Brent said. “What you are dong for kids like me is helping them have fun during not-so-fun times.
“Thank you for running, and thank you for fundraising.”
Kids Run for the Bear
The second annual Kids Run for the Bear will be at 8:30 a.m. April 21 at Eastview Elementary School, 540 Longwood Drive, Algonquin. The neighborhood course will start and end at Eastview. The cost per child is $10. Eastview also is raising funds with its Buck for the Bear program. Each donated dollar buys a Bear Hug bear to be decorated for display throughout the school, and comes with a raffle ticket for a chance to win a firetruck ride home from the Algonquin/Lake in the Hills Fire Department.
Bear Necessities
Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation is a national organization dedicated to eliminating pediatric cancer and providing hope and support to those who are touched by it. Its mission is carried out through three unique programs, which are the Bear Hugs Program, Bear Discoveries and Bear Empowerment. For information, visit www.bearnecessities.org.