First Annual Walk In Towson Town Center To Benefit Foundation

TOWSON, MD —For the first time, the Towson Town Center will host a 1.5-mile walk for a cause inside its walls. The event is called Addielicious Walk to Help Family Fun Walk.

"We have a 15-year-old daughter, Addie, who has epilepsy and autism," Trent Stroup told Patch.

"One of the things I do with Addie," Stroup said, is that "we go to Towson mall every Saturday for lunch." It has become a tradition.

More than a decade ago, he and his wife started the Stroup Kids for Kids Epilepsy Foundation, a volunteer-run organization to raise awareness about epilepsy and autism. In recent years, they hosted a charitable walk that had typically been at Goucher College in the fall.

Because it was competing with so many other fall activities, Stroup said participation was not as high as he would have liked.

After he walked the mall with his daughter one day in 2018, Stroup said: "It hit me...what if we did the walk here?"

He was able to set up a meeting with mall management and pitched the idea.

The 1.5-mile walk will span the four floors of the mall. It is slated for the last weekend in March.

"Every time we switch floors, there's an escalator or elevator, so people with wheelchairs and strollers [can participate]," Stroup said. He told Patch he met with the group that walks in the mall before it opens, to ensure they were on board with the idea. Some wanted to join in, he said.

Poe the Ravens mascot will also be in attendance at the Addielicious Walk.

At the end, participants can take advantage of kid-friendly activities like face painting and craft tables as well as soda, bagels, ice cream and popcorn. Those who register for the event will get coupons, so they have more reason to visit shops after the walk. Various stores are offering raffle prizes too. The first 100 participants also get a free Chick-fil-A sandwich; Stroup said Addie visits Chick-fil-A every weekend on their walk.

"You get a lot for the $25 registration fee," Stroup said.

Proceeds will go to the Stroup Kids for Kids Foundation, which provides respite care for families as well as phones and tablets for children with special needs through its Tech to Help program, among other services. It has raised nearly $195,000 in 10 years, with more than $100,000 going to the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Epilepsy Center.

The Addelicious Walk To Help Family Fun Walk will start at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 28, at Towson Town Center. The event runs from 8 to 10 a.m. at 825 Dulaney Valley Road, Towson.

Registration is $25 and can be paid online. The fee includes a free Chick-fil-A sandwich (for the first 100 to register), t-shirt, face painting and coupons as well as the chance to win raffle items from mall stores and local businesses such as Wee Chic Boutique, HD Marigold and Karma.

"We want to bring walkers to the mall to promote our epilepsy and autism cause," Stroup said, and give back to the mall, encouraging people to stick around and shop when the walk is over.