Westside Foundation 5K Fundraiser Set For Sunday In New Lenox

NEW LENOX, IL — The Westside Foundation is scheduled to hold a 5K run/walk Sunday at The Village Commons in New Lenox. Westside Foundation is the nonprofit fundraising arm of Westside Children's Therapy, which offers clinical therapy and counseling for children with special needs and their families. WCT has nearly 20 locations across the Chicagoland area, including one in New Lenox.

Registration cost is $30 for adults, $15 for children ages 10 and up, and children under 10 are free to register. Registration begins Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Kickoff and announcements are scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m., and the race is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.

The 5K is a new fundraiser for the Foundation. Matt Cassidy, a physical therapist at WCT and a board member on the Foundation, said the Foundation had to get creative for new fundraising opportunities during the pandemic.

“We were looking for a way to get creative and hold an event that would be fairly safe in the current climate," Cassidy said. "So, an outdoor event, 5K, where you can separate yourselves, wear a mask if you choose, was a way that we could raise some money in these interesting times. So, we created a 5K, but we also added three unique laps to it to highlight why we’re doing it.

"One of the laps will be linking arms in solidarity, which represents the community that serves and supports the children in need of therapy services. Then a lap [representing] can’t weigh us down, showing the tenacity of the patients and families who we have the privilege of serving. And then celebrating our differences, and the children who we serve are what makes life beautiful.”

Related: Westside Children's Therapy Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Westside Foundation started six years ago, said Dave Lapsker, chief development officer for WCT.The idea came from a WCT therapist who was distraught over a parent’s inability to pay for treatment of a child. Within the first year of the Foundation’s existence, more than $55,000 was raised to help families pay for treatment, Lapsker said. Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $100,00 in grants to local families in need.

The Foundation receives about 20 applications from families per month, Lapsker said. About 20-25 percent of applicants receive some aid through the Foundation.

“If it were up to us, we’d help 100 percent of them out, but we're just limited on the funds that are available,” Lapsker said. “... The reality is that because of the pandemic and the financial stress it’s put on so many families we are seeing more applications than ever. This is really our biggest opportunity, through this 5K, to generate funds for the Foundation so we can give out grants. We’re really relying on a pretty heavy turnout so that we can support more families.”

Free childcare will be provided for parents who wish to participate in the 5K but would need someone to watch after their children. The childcare will be staffed by WCT therapists and will offer activities for the children during the race.

Table sponsorships for the race are still available and cost $100.

Lapsker added a special "Thank you" to the Village of New Lenox and the community.

“They’ve been so welcoming to us and so supportive of this event. We really couldn’t do it without them,” Lapsker said.

For more information, to register for the race, to purchase a table sponsorship or to make a donation, visit the Westside Foundation’s website.

For more news and information like this, subscribe to the New Lenox Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. Don't forget to like us on Facebook!