Race in the Park Saturday at Walnut Hill
By Robin Vinci | Editor at May 6, 2024 | 8:00 am | Print
The 13th Annual Race in the Park by the Connecticut Breast Health Initiative (CT BHI) is ready to begin Saturday (historically the day before Mother’s Day) at Walnut Hill Park. It is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the initiative who has held it in New Britain each year with an average of about 5,000 people.
“We are expecting a really good turnout,” said Laura Udice, communications manager for Baldwin Media. “There are activities for the whole family.”
Schedule is as follows:
6:30 a.m. registration and t-shirt pick-up
7:45 a.m. Survivor Breakfast
8 a.m. Silent Auction and Raffle
8:45 a.m. Kids Challenge 1 mile and .5 mile
9 a.m. Picnic in the park and family activities
9:15 a.m. Male and Female 5K run
10:15 a.m. 1 mile and 4K walk
11 a.m. Silent Auction and Raffle tent closes
“Food vendors start at 9 a.m. and there will be a touch a truck for kids to get close to big rigs, fire engines, police cars and much more. It is coordinated by the New Britain Fire Department,” said Udice. “The Kids Expo has games and activities for youth 12 and under.”
Home Depot will also have a build in the park. Kids 12 and under get to build something and take home a wooden project.
“The Survivor Breakfast is a big part of the day,” added Udice.
Music will be performed by Fountainhead.
CT BHI makes a significant impact in the quest to find a cure for breast cancer by providing grants to support education and research in Connecticut. It’s mission is to make a difference locally in the fight against breast cancer through support, education and research.
Ample parking for the RACE will be available in the two downtown New Britain garages (Courthouse, and Washington/Columbus Boulevard Garages). Convenient shuttle buses, provided by DATTCO, will make continuous trips between the RACE site and these parking areas. Participants should go directly to the parking facilities.
Connecticut is currently ranked 35th in the nation for breast cancer mortality. One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Over 211,000 new breast cancer cases will be diagnosed each year in the United States. And approximately 40,000 women are expected to die from breast cancer each year. And yet, there are more than two million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
To date, CT BHI has awarded $3.1 million to fund important breast cancer research and education projects in Connecticut. Thus far, it has funded 20 researchers at various Connecticut hospitals and organizations.
Last year the initiative raised over $500,000 for breast cancer research.
