Charity pays off for Cranberry Twp. woman
CRANBERRY TWP — Amy Wilson, 39, of Cranberry Township got an unexpected bonus when she went to Memphis Dec. 2 to run a half-marathon to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Not only did she raise nearly $4,410 for the hospital, but she won a 2018 Ford Explorer.
The stay-at-home mother of three, said, “It was a fundraising thing. Landers Ford in Collierville, Tenn., has donated a car the last several years to go to a St. Jude's hero.
“You had to raise $500 in a certain period of time to be eligible,” she said. “Before the race, they called me on Monday to notify me that I had won. It was very exciting.”
“It's still in Tennessee. There's paperwork to fill out that goes through the dealership and through the legal team at St. Jude's,” said Wilson.
Wilson said she runs not for prizes but to help raise money for the hospital and to be with her friends.
“Well I started running when I was five years old. My father was a Boston marathoner. But I didn't continue running. When I was in fourth grade I told my father I had had enough.
“I danced and played field hockey, but I didn't start running again until I was in college at Grove City. I was just running to stay in shape and stay healthy,” she said.
Later on, she said, running took on an additional meaning when she joined Team Smiles for Sophie Forever.
Wilson said, “ I met Sophie's mom, Emily Quayle, when we lived in Avon Lake, Ohio.
“Sophie had diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a rare inoperable and incurable form of brain cancer. Sophie was treated at St. Judes. She fought for 7.5 months and died at the age of four,” Wilson said.
Her parents started Smiles for Sophie Forever to give money to families whose children are also battling brain cancer and to fund research to find a cure for brain cancer and to give back to St. Jude where Sophie was treated.“This year is a big year; it's been 10 years since Smiles for Sophie Forever has been in existence,” Wilson said. “Emily put together a team to run in the half-marathon of 36 people from all over the country.”Wilson said this year's runners raised more than $93,000 for the hospital.This was Smith's fourth half-marathon run to benefit St. Jude.This year marks the 16th annual St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend.“Unlike any other race, participants get to run through campus and see the mission come to life firsthand as they are cheered on by St. Jude patients and families,” said ALSAC President and CEO Rick Shadyac. ALSAC is the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude.“This year's event drew 25,000 runners and more than 40,000 spectators to the Bluff City, many of whom fundraised for St. Jude while during their training for the race,” said Shadyac.“These fundraisers, called St. Jude Heroes, help ensure families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live,” he said.St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend is the largest single-day fundraising event for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.The 2017 race weekend has raised $10.3 million thus far. Fundraising for St. Jude Heroes is open until Jan. 5.Wilson said winning the Explorer was great, especially since she and her husband, Trent, had been car shopping. But that's not the reason she runs.“It's not really about me. It's really the cause and the chance to talk about, the cause,” she said.
