The Wickham Woods "Wacky Races" Supports the Chatham Emergency Squad

CHATHAM, NJ – On Sunday morning, June 2nd, over 150 children got up early to participate in the inaugural Wickham Woods Wacky Races, a children’s fun run through the Wickham Woods neighborhood in Chatham Township. All proceeds from the race are being donated to the Chatham Emergency Squad and over $2,000 was raised.

The Wickham Woods Wacky Races are hosted by the Wickham Woods Neighborhood Association. Event co-chairs Jen Newman and Missy Tannen organized the event with other members of the Association. To make the race more exciting and fun for the kids, the race course had “Wacky Challenges” along the way. Volunteers from the Chatham High School Key Club, neighborhood residents and the Eagle Scouts, ran each challenge and ensured the safety of the children by monitoring street closures along the race route.

We also believe in “neighbors helping neighbors” which is the motto of the Chatham Emergency Squad. Wickham Woods is such a close-knit community and exemplifies this motto as well. This was demonstrated in the generous support received from neighborhood participation, family donations and volunteers to help run the race. “We are so grateful to all of our volunteers, especially our local teens who went above and beyond to make this a safe and successful event for our children,” commented race co-chair Missy Tannen.

Jeanne Lado, a Wickham Woods resident who volunteered at the registration table said, “I am so impressed with the turn out and community support for this event, everyone has been so positive.” Her eight year-old daughter Samantha added, “the challenges were really fun, especially the one called “Where’s my Water?” During this challenge, children had to throw a wet sponge over a rope, run under it and catch it on the other side. Other challenges included, a “Hula Hop,” and a “Dr. Seuss Loop” which involved jumping through hoops and following a zig-zag, loopy line down the street. The race course had a total of five challenges which were enjoyed by all of the racers.

Another participant, 6 year old Giovanna Yanes enjoyed the finish line festivities as much as the race, “I got to go inside of the ambulance, see all of the machines, and even go into the huge fire truck.” The race participants all received racing medals, refreshments and a chance to see the Chatham emergency vehicles up close.

 Maya Djurasovic, President of the Wickham Woods Neighborhood Association said, “We are proud to be able to raise awareness and support the Chatham Emergency Squad with a family event that gives back to our local heroes.”

 The Association looks forward to hosting this race again next year and is so grateful for everyone’s participation and support.

The Chatham Emergency Squad is a non-profit organization that services all 911 calls for medical emergencies in the Chathams, caring for the sick and injured and transporting to area hospitals. The Chatham Emergency Squad members are all highly trained professional EMTs who are all volunteers and dedicate their time to servicing those in need. Most of these volunteers live in the Township and Borough and range in age from students to retirees.