Steps Together, the Hillsborough-based nonprofit organization that raises funds for 18 area families in need of financial support due to medical circumstances, will benefit from a united walking/running team that will participate in the Steeplechase distance walk/run Sunday, Sept. 27, in Hillsborough.
Rather than organize its own run, Steps Together organizes a team to participate in an existing event. This allows it to raise funds for its organization while also supporting the Somerset Health Care Foundation.
For a $50 donation, Steps Together team members receive race registration, guided training via email with training tips and suggested workouts, invitations to attend group training sessions and fundraising advice should participants wish to expand their donation network. Team members also receive a team shirt to wear on race day; the shirt highlights team sponsors and families, who will benefit from the funds raised.
“The team is a perfect fit for anyone wishing to pay forward their blessings and help local families,” said Courtney Newman, one of the founding organizers.
Steps Together encourages all levels of fitness to join — from those wishing to complete their first organized event to experienced runners. According to Ms. Newman, “The commonality in team members is simple — everyone realizes their blessings.”
Bill Maher, now a board member of the organization, said he heard about Steps Together and attended one of its training runs in August 2013.
“Seeing the dedication and commitment of all the Steps Together members is very contagious,” Mr. Maher said. “I continue to train hard and improve — not only as a runner, but as a person. I have learned about paying it forward, about not taking anything for granted and that every day is a gift. I am blessed with two beautiful, successful daughters and the most supportive wife any man could ask for. I have met some of the most incredible people I’ve ever known in my entire life since that day.”
Mr. Maher has gone on to complete multiple 5Ks, marathons and 24-hour endurance events.
Rosalia Viana, of Bridgewater, spoke of her involvement with the organization after Steps Together helped offset the cost of caring for her daughter, Chloe, who was born in April of 2010 with multiple disorders.
“Becoming a part of Steps Together’s family has really inspired me on so many levels,” she said. “I look at my Chloe and how hard she works to achieve her goals, like walking with or without crutches, and I think to myself what kind of example am I setting for her as an inactive parent? I am too young and too important to myself and family to feel the way I do.
“The last thing Chloe needs is to develop poor food habits and become overweight, which could, ultimately, keep her from walking on her own, put her in a wheelchair or bring on another disease. How can I care for her if I feel weak, sick, tired or I can’t keep up with the physical demands it takes?”
Ms. Viana will participate in the 2-mile walk for her second year in a row.
Events offered in the Steeplechase Distance Walk/Run include a 2-mile walk, 5K and 10K runs and sprints for children ages 2 to 11. Participants can learn more about the event and register at www.steps-together.org/teamdetails.
The 2014 team of nearly 500 participants raised $52,000.
Steps Together was established in 2013 after founding members saw two distinct conditions in families facing a medical crisis: a sense of isolation during treatment and the need for financial support brought on by a medical situation. To date the organization has allocated $193,000 to families in central New Jersey and more than $17,000 to the Somerset Health Care Foundation.
Steps Together also provides more beyond financial assistance, Ms. Newman said.
Many of the families who are receiving assistance have detailed their stories on the organization’s website, www.steps-together.org.
