5K Replaces Former Annual Deary Memorial Walk & Run, Continues to Benefit Cancer Screening and Treatment for NECT Residents in Need

Day Kimball Healthcare is reinventing its former annual Deary Memorial Race and Walk with a new name, date and course. The Walk & Run for the NECT Cancer Fund is set for Saturday, June 18. The course has been reduced from five miles to a 5K, beginning and ending at the Black Dog Restaurant (formerly J.D. Cooper’s) on Park Road in Putnam. As in the previous 25 years of the walk and run, proceeds will support the Northeast Connecticut Cancer Fund of DKH, which provides financial assistance for cancer screening and treatment for Northeast Connecticut residents in need.

“We’re so excited to continue this popular event and update it with a fresh name and course,” said Patricia Hedenberg of the DKH Development Office. “It's become an annual tradition for many here in Northeast Connecticut and it’s a great way to get together with friends and family and be active. For many participants it’s also a wonderful way to remember, celebrate and honor loved ones who have battled cancer, while supporting those who are fighting their own battle now.”

The new 5K course loops from the Black Dog Restaurant down Park Road to Tracy Road near the Comfort Inn & Suites in Dayville, and back again. Hedenberg says there will be chip timing provided for both runners and walkers, as well as ample water stops & hoses throughout course. 

The first 250 registrants receive a free race T-shirt and the first, second and third place male and female finishers will each receive a cash award. 

To register for the event visit www.daykimball.org/CancerFundRun or call the Day Kimball Healthcare Development Office at (860) 928-7141. The fee is $25 per participant when registered by June 1, $35 per participant after June 1. There’s also a family rate now available – a $75 total charge for all family members in the same household. Participants may also choose to ask family and friends for pledges to help raise money for the cause. Individuals that raise $75 or more in pledges by race day will have their registration fee refunded.

Over the years the walk and run has raised more than $1,117,000 for cancer screening and treatment with all funds remaining local, just as it does today through the Northeast Connecticut Cancer Fund of DKH. Last year, DKH was able to distribute more than $200,000 through the Fund to those receiving cancer care at Day Kimball Hospital. The Hospital's cancer care center received national accreditation with commendations from the Commission on Cancer in 2015.

For more information about the Walk & Run for the NECT Cancer Fund or about the Fund itself, visit www.daykimball.org/CancerFundRun. For more information about cancer care screening and treatment services at Day Kimball Hospital, visit www.daykimball.org/cancercare.