©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Galesburg St. Jude Runners Raise Record Money |
A down economy hasn't kept Galesburg-area residents from doing a lot of good by giving a lot of money to an important area cause.
The annual Galesburg-to-Peoria run in support of the annual St. Jude Telethon in Peoria raised $46,000.
Runners stepped off from in front of the WGIL Studios on East Simmons Street Saturday morning, traveling down U.S. 150 all the way to the Peoria Civic Center, stopping only in Williamsfield for lunch and a break.
Bill Bodach of Joliet and formerly Galesburg, has a now-27-year old daughter that is a leukemia survivor, and says he has to come back every year to support the run.
"We're just so proud to be associated with St. Jude," Bodach said. "It's changed our lives. It's helped us. It's given us our daughter. Without St. Jude, we wouldn't be standing here. We wouldn't be having a wonderful daughter who is now married and off on her own and doing all the good things that she can do."
Kim McEllen of Galesburg took part for her daughter Emily, still receiving treatment from St. Jude for an inoperable brain tumor, and says contributions to Saint Jude are still needed to help her daughter and many others.
"Please, continue what you're doing," McEllen told fellow runners. "We still need a lot of money, mainly not for the help, but for the research. Just not the treatment, but the research. (St. Jude will) take care of everything. We've paid nothing."
Saint Jude telethon officials say while millions of dollars was raised Saturday night, $2.4 million of that was raised by the 1,800 central Illinois runners which includes those from Galesburg.
To find out more about St. Jude, CLICK HERE.
(Runners receive their final instructions Saturday morning in the city parking lot across from the WGIL Studios before taking off on the St. Jude Galesburg to Peoria run.)
(St. Jude supporters wave to one of several support vans that followed the runners on their route.)
(St. Jude Galesburg to Peoria Run support vans depart downtown Galesburg Saturday morning. WGIL News Story and Photos by Will Stevenson.) |
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| 08 01 09 by Newsroom |
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