'Owen's Walk to Remember' Adds More Activities, Events in Second Year

Posted

WestRash Charities will hold its second annual “Owen’s Walk to Remember Angels & Warriors” fundraiser on Oct. 12 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Brentsville District High School in Nokesville on Aden Road.

The walk is being held in honor of Owen Wicks, a 16-year-old Brentsville District High School student from Bristow, who passed away of osteosarcoma, pediatric bone cancer, on Apr. 6, 2012.

“We expect this year’s event to be even bigger than last year due to the involvement of students at both Patriot and Brentsville high schools,” Owen’s mother, Deena Wicks Westenhofer, said.

There will be something fun for everyone to participate in: moon bounce, carnival games, face painting, kids’ fun run, lunch provided by top-rated Chef Seb of Amoo’s, wacky relay races and a 1-mile walk.

The gates open at 11 a.m. and the 1-mile walk starts at 1 p.m.

Registration is not required to attend “Owen’s Walk.” People may donate what they feel that they can afford. There are, however, suggested donations: Kids 12 and under - free, Teens 13 - 18 - $10 and Adults - $25.

Deena Westenhofer and Owen’s stepfather run WestRash Charities which was established in 2002.

Last year, six months after Owen passed, the Westenhofers were all in a state of shock and threw “Owen’s Walk” together without much of a structure. This year, however, WestRash Charities is taking extra time to expand the event.

“This year we are including a kids’ fun run, so that moms and dads can be silly with their kids. We also took time to find a face-painter, hire a DJ and provide lunch by an official restaurant. If we’re going to raise money, let’s do it in the spirit of Owen. He always enjoyed playing games and hearing children’s laughter,” Westenhofer said.

The reason WestRash Charities chose to do the 1-mile walk for “Owen’s Walk,” rather than a longer walk or run, is so anyone can participate, whether he or she is in a wheelchair or pushing a stroller. The purpose is not to cross the finish line first, like a competitive athlete.

All proceeds from “Owen’s Walk” will benefit Children’s National Medical Center for pediatric cancer research. Last year, the event raised $13K for the cause.

During their journey with Owen, the Westenhofers found that a lot of places do not actually contribute to funding for research, which is why WestRash Charities sends proceeds solely to Children’s National Medical Center.

“We have full visibility that the proceeds are purely going to pediatric research at Children’s,” Westenhofer said.

Although proceeds from “Owen’s Walk” are going to Children’s National Medical Center in D.C., they will interact with Children’s National Medical Centers in other states to share research. They all meet weekly and monthly to discuss this information.

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.

Additionally, in conjunction with “Owen’s Walk,” Ms. Browder’s CIE class (Character, Integrity and Excellence) at Brentsville High School decided to hold an Ultimate Frisbee tournament from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the football field.

Brentsville students will pay a $10 entry fee to participate which will be donated to WestRash Charities for inclusion in their proceeds to benefit Children’s National Medical Center for pediatric cancer research.

2013, angels-warriors, brentsville-high-school, charity, featured, national-pediatrics-hospital, owen-wicks, owens-walk, to-remember, walk, westrash-charities