Wykon Family Fun Run 5K receives a contribution

The Iron Area Health Foundation recently contributed $365 to support Wykon Family Fun Run 5K. Pictured are, from left, Lyle Smithson (Director of the Iron Area Health Foundation), Jill Sabotta (Iron Area Health Foundation Board member) and Denise Maloney (WIC Pre-School Instructor and race coordinator). (submitted photo)

IRON RIVER – This year is the 10th anniversary of our school Color Run 5K, which will start at Nanaimo Park on Friday,  June 2 at 9 a.m.
Denise Maloney started it 10 years ago when she  wrote and received a very large Wellness grant for our school for School Wellness thru Blue Cross/Blue Shield. It was one of the requirements of the grant that  a school 5K be planned and hosted that year. Everyone loved it so much and had so much fun, that we kept it going for the last 10 years, and it has become a community event every year now on our last day of school. 
Close to 800 people participate each year and it is such a fantastic event. We have children from Tot-Lot thru sixth grade, school staff and community members participating. All participates in the 5K run will receive a free T-Shirt to wear in celebration of the run’s 10th anniversary. Serious runners participate, and everyone in between from babies in strollers to grandmas and grandpas.  Everyone gets out and exercises together.
The 5K is free, a service project is always tied in, meaning we accept donations and each year, we select some agency that supports children and families in our community. Over the years, we have raised over $20,000 plus dollars that has been donated to entities like - our local cancer unit, the Windsor Center, we bought gym shoes for elementary children, etc. Maloney says, “we want our students to not only have a H.E.A.L.T.H.Y. heart, but a G.I.V.I.N.G. heart as well”.
This year, we are partnering with Thrivent on a can drive to ‘CAN HUNGER’ in our community. All of our classrooms are gathering canned food/non-perishable items and Thrivent is donating $3 for every item - up to $3,000. The classrooms  are having fun with the challenges at school. 
All the food items and the $3,000 will be donated to our local St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry - which feeds children and families all summer when school is closed and children aren’t getting breakfast and lunch at school.