Run for Randy

Dear Friends,
We are inviting you to take part in a very special event. As you may know, on February 22, 2004, a nine-year-old boy from our community, Randy Palya, passed away from an inoperable brain stem tumor. This young man was involved in many activities in the McHenry County area. One of his favorite activities was soccer. He played in the MASF soccer league for 4 years, and when he was no longer able to play, he still came to the games with his family to cheer on his teammates.

Randy's strength, faith, courage and spirit inspired the MASF to create a soccer scholarship in his memory. Since this scholarship was established, many deserving children have been given the opportunity to participate in soccer, which they otherwise would not have had.

We would like to be able to continue to provide this wonderful opportunity for these children, as well as support various charities including; the Richmond/Spring Grove food pantry, Home of the Sparrow (McHenry), the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation and many more.

For the past three years, a very special event has been held in celebration of Randy Palya's life. The event is called the �Run for Randy�. It is a fun 3-mile run/walk in Spring Grove (please visit http://www.townadvertiser.com/run4randy for more information). In 2004 approximately 125 people participated. In 2009 there were over 1000 participants. It's so exciting and heartwarming to see the growth of this meaningful event.

We would like to invite you to support the �Run for Randy� this year. The event will be held on Thursday, June 3th at 6:30pm at Horse Fair Park in Spring Grove. The entry fee for children 14 years and younger is $10.00, Adults are $15.00 or $50.00 per family. Sponsorships are available for interested businesses. Starting at $100.00. The first twenty-five businesses to signup will have their logos placed on the commemorative T-shirts. On June 3th at 5:00pm at Horse Fair Park in Spring Grove there will be the tee-shirt pick-up and last minute registration. At 6:30 pm the run / walk begins.

We hope you will consider this special invitation as an opportunity to celebrate the life of a very special boy and a chance to provide a wonderful experience for many well deserving children, as well as make a contribution

Registration forms or sponsorship information can be obtained at http://www.townadvertiser.com. Please e-mail your business logo or name as you wish it to appear to:palya@mc.net or mail to:

Please make your check payable to The Randy Palya Memorial Fund

With sincere thanks,
Run for Randy Committee
Dean & Nancy Palya
Mark & Rachael Williams
Jody Gullifor