Sunday race commemorates Diana Rochford

West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North student died last year in car accident.

By: Gwen Runkle
   WEST WINDSOR — More than 200 runners are expected to take to the streets Sunday to raise funds for the Diana Rochford Memorial Fund.
   Diana, a 17-year-old soccer star at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, died after an automobile accident in Lawrence Township in August 2002.
   Her parents, Thomas and Sheree Rochford, established the Diana Rochford Memorial Fund shortly after the accident to help support student mission trips.
   On Sunday, three DianaRun races — a quarter-mile fun run for children age 9 and under, a one-mile walk/run and a 5K (3.1-mile) run — will begin around 9:30 a.m. on Alexander Road near the Princeton Hyatt Regency in Carnegie Center.
   Brian Vogel, a friend of the Rochford family, organized the event.
   "I met Diana last summer while I was working as a foreman building homes for the needy in Mexico," Mr. Vogel said. "Diana was there with her youth group at the Princeton Alliance Church and was just a dynamite kid.
   "Rarely are people of any age confronted with such stark contrasts to their own life," he continued. "Diana was truly changed by this experience and shared her newfound perspective with others at every opportunity."
   After the accident, Mr. Vogel said he knew he wanted to do something to help but wasn’t sure how.
   "I didn’t have the resources to just write a check (for the Diana Fund)," he said. "So I thought I’d raise money through a local fund-raiser and, as a runner, this event was the logical direction."
   According to Mr. Vogel, about 235 people have preregistered for the three races so far. He expects double that number will actually turn out Sunday.
   All proceeds from the event will go to the Diana Rochford Memorial Fund, which enables area teenagers to take part in the same life-changing experiences Diana had while in Mexico. The fund provides scholarships to students to travel to other countries and communities to help those in need.
   "Diana was a great person, very enthusiastic," said Nathan Karcesky, youth pastor at the Princeton Alliance Church in Plainsboro. "This event is great because it allows her legacy of giving to live on."
   "She was truly loved," Mr. Vogel added. "More than 1,600 friends and family members came out to the memorial service to celebrate her life. She was an amazing girl and it’s tragic her life was cut so short. However, through the DianaRun, we all have the chance to celebrate her life again and use our lives to change the lives of others," he said.
For more information about the event, visit the Web site www.dianarun.org or contact Mr. Vogel at (732) 496-1596 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Contributions can also be sent to DianaRun, P.O. Box 7161, Princeton, NJ 08543-7161.