First Ever Newtown Haunted Hustle To Benefit NR2F1 Foundation

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, PA — A new Halloween event will be hitting the streets of Newtown Borough in October.

Longtime resident Jen Nicholl has announced plans for the first ever “Haunted Hustle 5K,” which will raise funds for the nonprofit NR2F1 Foundation while adding to Newtown’s already spirited season.

“I wanted to have a 5K fundraiser that wasn’t just a fundraiser, but a fun event,” said Nicholl, a co-founding board member of the NR2F1 Foundation. “I also adore my town and I wanted to tie in a fun event. So I settled on a Halloween event because people in Newtown love their town and they
love Halloween.”

The Haunted Hustle is scheduled to step off on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 9 a.m. at the Chancellor Center. The race will then follow a course that will take participants through historic Newtown ending back at the Chancellor Center for an awards ceremony, refreshments, and live music.

To add to the fun, Nicholl encourages everyone to come to the event dressed in their spookiest and festive Halloween gear and costumes. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes. Click here to register for the run/walk.

Spooky music and pre-race snacks will greet participants beginning at 8 a.m. at 30 North Chancellor Street. And participants can choose either to run or to walk the course.

Prizes for the professionally-timed, USA Track and Field-certified race will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers. And everyone who pre-registers will receive an event t-shirt and a finisher medal.

In addition, runners and walkers over the age of 21 will receive a coupon good for a free brew during an after party at the Second Sin Taproom on North State Street. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Second Sin will also be donating 10 percent of all purchases to the NR2F1 Foundation.

Nicholl helped found the NR2F1 Foundation after her daughter, Maggie, was diagnosed with the rare genetic disorder just before her third birthday.

After learning her daughter’s diagnosis Nicholl searched unsuccessfully for a support group or a foundation. Because it is so rare, there wasn’t a lot out there at the time, she said. So she set out to start a new foundation with five other moms who she met over social media.

The foundation began as a Facebook page and eventually morphed into a nonprofit organization in 2018.

“It’s become a great resource,” she said. “There are now a few hundred diagnosed, but it’s still considered an ultra rare disorder.”

Her daughter is now 13 and continues to be challenged by the disorder, which results in intellectual difficulties, autism, and speech and language impairments. There is no cure.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the Newtown Haunted Hustle will benefit the foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to those living with rare variants on the Nr2f1 gene. These variants cause a neurodevelopmental disorder called Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome (BBSOAS).

“Our mission at NR2F1 Foundation is to empower families and individuals living with rare NR2F1 variants through education, advocacy and research," says the foundation's website. "Our vision is that every single family and individual living with rare NR2F1 variants will live a full and empowered life.”