Run for Bear Kick-Off Event Monday at Eastview Elementary School

Eastview Elementary will hold the kick-off event F for its 2nd Annual Kids Run for the bear at 1:15 p.m. on Monday, March 19. 

At the kick-off, Principal Jim Zursin will be joined by members of the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Department, who will run with the kids, and by guest speaker Josh Brent. 

Josh was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was very young and received treatment at Lutheran General Hospital.  He is now 16 years old and has grown up to be a wonderful young man who is passionate about music and acting. 

This year, he donated his hair to Locks of Love and is also participating in St. Baldrick's head-shaving event.

The district-wide Kids Run for the BEAR event will take place at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 21, on a neighborhood course with the start and finish line at Eastview Elementary School.

Race-day registration begins at 7:30 a.m. The cost per child to participate is just $10. There will be medals awarded to the top boy and girl runners overall, as well as the top three boy and girl runners in each age category (4 and under, Kindergarten, Grades 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5). Visit the event's website to register.

For more information on Kids Run for the BEAR namesake Barrett "Bear" Krupa, please vist the Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation webpage here.  

When he was a student at Eastview, Bear's dream was that every child battling cancer would have the same support that he received from his friends and family before his passing in 1993.

The Bear Hugs Program supports young cancer patients (ages 0-19), as well as their immediate family who face the many challenges that accompany the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric cancer. The Foundation's outreach serves both in-state and out-of-state children who are being treated at one of the nine major Chicago area hospitals with pediatric oncology departments.

A "Bear Hug" is a customized experience that brightens the life of a child going through cancer. The Bear Hugs Program also provides immediate family support for financial burden and essential needs.

This year, our goal at Eastview Elementary School is to contribute directly to this program.  

A $500 sponsorship provides one Bear Hug, and that is the school's goal. Last year, Eastview raised almost $5,000 dollars.  Principal Zursin and his students are hoping for similar results this year, to provide as many Bear Hugs as they can. 

Source: District 300 press release