We love when Team Fox members think outside of the box for their fundraising events. We love even more when that includes running a 5K with your siblings through a field of inflatable objects in honor of your mother who's living with Parkinson’s.
On October 3, that’s exactly what Meg, Kelly and Bridget Raiano did as Team 3 Sisters in their first Team Fox event – far surpassing their goal and raising over $2,300 together! I caught up with Kelly to find out more about the team’s first Team Fox event.
Official Event Name: Insane Inflatable 5K
What drew you to the event?
It looked like fun, and it most definitely was! Plus, as a fun run we could do it together, we cheered each other on as we ran and helped each other over the obstacles. Also, we definitely laughed a lot when we got stuck or fell over!
What motivated you to do this event for Team Fox?
Our mother is living with Parkinson’s disease. We’ve been supporters of the Foundation since she was diagnosed five years ago, but by joining Team Fox we’ve been able to better organize our efforts. The ability to create a donation page for each of us was a HUGE help for this race! We could do the most good together as Team Fox members.
What would you say Team Fox means to you and your sisters?
Team Fox has been an amazing resource for us. We were able to share our story with everyone – those that knew about the diagnosis and those that didn’t – and educate them a little bit. I think that being Team Fox members also gave us a little more pull with those donating – they realized we were taking the extra step for a cause close to our hearts.
Just before we put together our team, our mother started seeing a new doctor, a Parkinson’s specialist. She got some very promising news. To us that’s huge, since five years ago we knew almost nothing about the disease. That kind of good news doesn’t happen on its own, it’s thanks to the research being done by The Michael J. Fox Foundation that we’re getting great updates like that.
You can turn any race, large or small, with or without obstacles, into your next Team Fox fundraiser! Visit www.teamfox.org for more information or email athletes@michaeljfox.org and we’ll help you get started!