Nancy Fuccile, left to right, and her children, Michael, 9, Brooke, 4, and Jack, 7, prepare to kick off last year’s Fuce 5K. PHOTO COURTESY OF NANCY FUCCILE An annual Metuchen event that has become a tradition will soon once again bring people together to help local families in their time of need — the seventh annual Fuce 5K.
The 5K is brought to Metuchen by the Fuccile Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving and supporting families affected by tragedy.
“It really is a town event that people look forward to,” Nancy Fuccile of Metuchen said. “It’s becoming a signature event in Metuchen,”
The event started after Fuccile’s family suffered a tragic loss. In September 2008, Fuccile’s husband, Mike, was stabbed to death on his way to work in Jersey City. He is also survived by the couple’s three children — Michael, 9, Jack, 7, and Brooke, 4.
The town rallied around the family with donations, and even helped Nancy with housework in her time of grief. “After my husband passed, there was so much support for me, but people would foodshop for me and do chores without batting an eye,” Fuccile said.
In 2009, a group of friends created the 5K as a way to raise money for the Fucciles. Since then, the Fuccile Foundation has given back to other families in Metuchen.
“I was so overwhelmed and saddened by what had happened that I couldn’t properly thank people, so this is my way of thanking them and paying it forward,” Fuccile said.
The Fuccile Foundation raises money year round for families who have suffered a tragedy of their own. On April 26, Razorsharp Barbershop & Shave Parlor hosted a cut-a-thon and donated $1,200 to the foundation.
The 5K is the foundation’s biggest fundraiser of the year. According to Fuccile, it should bring in anywhere from $7,000 to $12,000.
Most of the money donated comes from sponsors. Over the years, the 5K has acquired 47 total sponsors — 30 businesses and 17 families, including JFK Medical Center, Razorsharp Barbershop, Merrill Lynch Bank of America Corporation and BlackRock.
According to Fuccile, the more money sponsors donate, the larger their logo is or better position they get on T-shirts and goodie bags.
Participants can register online or print out the registration form. Those who register before May 31 will be guaranteed a race T-shirt.
Five families will be receiving donations through the 5K this year.
Samantha Aldinger is a mother of two who has stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She has received four of 12 treatments in six months.
Esther Molfetto, mother of three and grandmother, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2013.
She received 13 chemotherapy treatments in 2014 and two targeted radiation therapies on her liver.
Two months after the targeted treatment, a positron-emission tomography (PET) scan revealed that the cancer had progressed to other areas. Nine-year-old Jack Purcell has a rare condition where his body doesn’t process protein, and he has trouble maintaining energy levels and has memory loss.
Ryan Kane is a fifth-grader at Edgar Middle School in Metuchen. On the morning of May 7, he found his mother after she had passed away in her sleep.
The fifth family wishes not to be named to preserve their privacy.
“I’m not a hero but this is a nice way to say thank you and to pay it forward,” Fuccile said.
The Fuce 5K is set for June 14. Participants are expected to check in at Metuchen High School between 7 and 8 a.m. The timed 5K begins at 8:30 a.m., and the 5K Fun Walk/Run begins at 8:40 a.m.
To register, visit www.fuce5.com/FUCE5/Registration.html. For more information, call 732-90-FUCE5 (732-903-8235) or email [email protected] or Stacey Derector at [email protected].