UMD Terp Thon Festival of Hope

By Jessi Stickel on September 22, 2016

Children’s Hospital Miracle Kids, families and students throwing colored powder at people coming through the finish line of the Terp Thon 5K Color Run, Saturday Sept. 17, 2016. (Jessi Stickel)

COLLEGE PARK, Md., — Students, alumni and families came together Saturday to run at the Festival of Hope 5K Terp Thon at the University of Maryland to raise money for Children’s National.

Terp Thon is a student-run organization at UMD that raises funds and awareness for children at the Children’s National Health System, based in D.C.

With approximately 800 people, including 16 guests from the Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders and 11 Miracle Kids and families, the fifth annual Terp Thon raised $728,453.16 For The Kids, said Madi Pere the Public Relations Chair for Terp Thon.

It costs $18 for a participant to register for the 5K and festival.

“The registration fee for this event helps offset event expenses. One hundred percent proceeds benefit patient experience programs and medical care at Children’s National,” Pere said.

On Sept. 17 at about 1 p.m. 642 runners and walkers participated in the Festival of Hope 5K, which also was a color run around the campus, Pere said.

Students, families and children got blasted with blue, green, yellow, pink and orange bursts of powder while traveling through the path of the 5K.

“This year we decided to expand the event to include a Festival with a Ceremony honoring all current and past patients of the Center of Cancer & Blood Disorders at Children’s National Health System,” Pere said.

The Children’s Hospital Miracle Kids, which are patients and survivors, were also a big aspect of the Terp Thon.

Mother of Miracle Kid, Trevor Vardy, 5, and family attended the Terp Thon. Trevor is a four-year cancer survivor.

“We’ve been doing Terp Thons for three years now, for my son Trevor,” Vardy said.

Some of the Miracle Kids even participated in the color run.

Raven Matthews, 20, a junior at UMD, participated in her first Terp Thon this past Saturday with her friends.

“It was fun; I thought it was cool that some of the Miracle Kids were running with us,” Matthews said as she was covered in multicolored powder.

The UMD student said she saw Miracle Kid, Amanda, who has a prosthetic leg, running in the race.

“I was like you go girl,” Matthews said laughing.

The 5K-color run was not the only entertainment for the Terp Thon; there was a small festival held on McKeldin Mall as well. There were lawn games, such as Connect Four, bowling and a dunk tank, and a photo booth and face painting, along with vendor tables with free samples from companies such as KIND and Smoothie King.

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