It is always devastating when a child is diagnosed with cancer, but what is even more horrendous is when the family has to struggle with bills to afford to keep up with treatment, hospital visits and travel to specialists around the country.
Now there is a way to contribute. WestRash Charities will hold its first annual walk for pediatric cancer to benefit Children’s National Medical Center in supporting families and finding a cure on Saturday, Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. to noon at Brentsville District High School on Aden Road in Nokesville.
The walk, named “Owen’s Walk to Remember Angels & Warriors,” is being held in memory of Owen Wicks and the founder of WestRash Charities established in 2002, is Owen’s mother, Deena Wicks Westenhofer.
Owen Wicks, a Brentsville Senior High School student and Bristow resident was just 16 when he lost his battle with osteosarcoma or pediatric bone cancer this past April. Owen was a teen who loved paintball, dirt biking and spending time with his friends.
Having already begun a charity to serve pediatric cancer research and other worthy local causes, Owen’s mom, Deena Westenhofer dedicated her charity efforts towards helping other families who have been affected by pediatric cancer.
“They say it’s rare,” said Westenhofer, “but as you get out in the world of pediatric cancer, you see more and more kids.”
Among those kids she also saw families who could hardly afford costs involved with treatment, especially considering the time parents had to take off work to support their child. Now that part of her struggle is over, Westenhofer hopes to help those families.
Therefore, in Owen’s memory, Westenhofer has organized a walk to raise money for cancer research and support the families of pediatric cancer patients. While the walk is a new direction for WestRash Charities, Westenhofer has been organizing charity golf tournaments in Bristow for the past nine years.
“Growing up, I thought if I got to a point in my life when I was okay, I wanted to get involved and help others. I wanted to start a charity,” Westenhofer said.
The first charity event was for the family of a friend, whose child was diagnosed with leukemia, but she has coordinated with various local Northern Virginia charities in the past.
Arranging something in Owen’s memory, she wanted to make sure the money really got to those in need. When Owen was sick, Westenhofer looked into cancer charities, and was surprised to see how many spend their money in the wrong places.
She arranged her walk so that that 100 percent of the proceeds go towards Children’s National Medical Center for pediatric cancer research and families in need. To accomplish this Westenhofer paid herself for t-shirt printing, and had vendors volunteer their services.
Westenhofer was also choosy about the organization to sponsor, choosing Children’s National Medical Center because she believes they do a great job for kids, and because they see patients of varied socioeconomic backgrounds.
According to Martha Q. McCollum, Director of Development at Children's National Medical Center, "Children’s National has a constant need for philanthropy to help support those families without means to fulfill all of the demands cancer can place on a family. Through this fund they support purchase of medication that families can’t afford or don’t have insurance to pay for; we provide supplements for parking, transportation and food; and try to help families navigate the other services they can seek to help their family during this difficult journey."
However, “Owen’s Walk to Remember,” will only be successful if local people participate. Fortunately, Westenhofer has made it very simple for residents to contribute. Anyone can walk, jog, run or roll in a stroller or wheelchair around the track. Participants can do one quick walk around, complete a mile, or keep walking for the entire two hours.
Moreover, Westenhofer did not want to exclude anyone based on a donation requirement, but she hopes walkers will donate whatever they feel they can afford.
In addition businesses, organizations, groups or individuals are invited to sponsor the event. A $300 sponsorship buys a logo prominently featured on the back of the walk t-shirts. A $100 donation buys the name of the donor on the back of the t-shirt below the logos. Sponsorship fees are due by Oct. 8. T-shirts will be sold at the event for $25.
Westenhofer hopes to make, “Owen’s Walk to Remember” a family-friendly experience, and as such she invites children to wear their Halloween costumes. She expects the day of the event to be fun, with entertainment, food, and children's entertainment such as a bounce house. She encourages Bristow Beat readers to spread the word, bring their family or get together a group of friends. Registration in not required and everyone is welcome.
Those interested in finding out more about “Owen’s Walk to Remember Angels & Warriors” can visit the Owen’s Walk webpage at WestRash Charities , where one can also make a direct donation to the cause.
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