Hundreds To Walk At Crocheron Park To Raise Funds For St. Mary's

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — Hundreds of Baysiders are headed to Crocheron Park Sunday with the hopes of raising $100,000 for a local children's hospital.

This summer's 16th annual Big Hearts Walk for St. Mary's Kids, a charity walk-a-thon in support of the hospital's award-winning services for children with special needs, will kick off at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 12 at Crocheron Park. For participants, check-in begins an hour before the event.

Funds raised at the walk-a-thon will benefit Saint Mary's services — like the state's sole medical day care program for young adults with disabilities — which often exceeds the cost of what families are able to afford and what Medicaid will cover, according to hospital brass.

"The proceeds from the walk will help ensure we can continue to provide the highest level of care to our patients and we're incredibly grateful for the community support we've received," Dr. Edwin Simpser, President and CEO of St. Mary's Healthcare System for Children, said ahead of a previous walk-a-thon.

As of Friday morning donors have already raised over half of the fundraiser's $100,000 goal, amounting to nearly $59,000.

Sunday, walk-a-thon participants will venture along a 1.2 mile long loop of Crocheron Park up to three times (amounting to a 3.6 mile walk at most).

Afterwards, participants are encouraged to stay at the park for family-focused activities, including music, carnival games, arts and crafts, raffles, food and more.

Online registration ends 3 p.m. Friday, but onsite registration (cash preferred) is offered during check-in at 9 a.m., organizers said. Registration fees cost $25 for adults and $10 for children.

The walk-a-thon is honoring David Clarke, healthcare commercial banking and senior relationship manager of MT&T Bank.

Learn more about the event here.