SYRACUSE — Last June, thousands of runners filled the streets of downtown Syracuse to compete in the 19th edition of Paige’s Butterfly Run. It’s a fundraising race that Chris Arnold and Ellen Yeomans created to honor their daughter who lost her fight to childhood cancer.
The run has become a full-fledged family event, raising more than $2 million to date to support cancer research and cancer care at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, according to a recent Upstate Medical University news release.
The 2015 installment of the Butterfly Run and associated events attracted 5,000 attendees and raised $240,000. The run raises a large portion of the money to be donated, but other events contribute as well, the release stated. These include the Nice N Easy Corner Store Run that raised $10,000, a donation of $2,454 from the Chargers Rowing Club, $4,200 raised by the Fleet Feet Power of Running for Good program, and the Paige’s Pajama Days initiative at area schools and businesses.
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Arnold, Yeomans, and their committee presented the $240,000 check to the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital staff on Dec. 30 during a celebration that included pediatric patients, their families, the Foundation for Upstate Medical University, and caregivers from Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital and Upstate Cancer Center.
“Paige’s Butterfly Run is much bigger than just a Saturday morning in June; it has become a network of events that drive awareness and fundraising for pediatric cancer care and research at Upstate,” Toni Gary, director of community relations at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital and the Upstate Foundation, said in the release. “The contributions from Paige’s Run support initiatives that provide comfort for our patients and families when they are here receiving care, but also provide hope, in the form of important research, for the future.”
Contributions from Paige’s Butterfly Run and related activities are used for many Upstate initiatives. These efforts support pediatric cancer care, cancer research, and families who are faced with the many challenges presented by a diagnosis of childhood cancer, according to the release.
Some of the initiatives to benefit from this latest $240,000 gift include:
• The Paige’s Cancer Research Fund at Upstate
• Paige’s Family Assistance Fund. This fund helps families at the Dr. William J. Waters Center for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders who are having financial difficulties as a result of their child’s illness. The fund is also used for general assistance, including burial costs and a grief counseling program; sand therapy equipment and materials; equipment for hemophilia patients; Upstate’s Survival Wellness Clinic, which includes assistance to uninsured patients and for education of local and outlying physicians and other medical providers; neuropsychological testing for children with cancer; backpack comfort kits (which include items such as toiletries, gift cards for food and gas) for newly diagnosed patients and their families; and patient parking assistance.
• Paige Yeomans Arnold Memorial Endowment Fund. A portion of this permanent endowment, established with the Foundation for Upstate, will be used in the future to fund research and provide financial assistance to families having difficulties due to their child’s illness.
• Paige’s Family Fun Fund. This fund provides the child-life specialists at the Dr. William J. Waters Center for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders with support to cover family needs, such as meals, and birthday and holiday celebrations.
The 20th Annual Paige’s Butterfly Run is set for Saturday, June 4, 2016, starting near the Federal Building on Franklin Street in downtown Syracuse. The run is held during the city’s annual Taste of Syracuse festival.
