Last month, the community came together to raise funds for an important cause. FishHawk residents Bernadette Boyle and Linda O’Brien held the fourth annual Your Next Step is the Cure 5K at Park Square Plaza.
“What started in 2017 with a stopwatch, balloons for the start/finish line and 42 participants grew into an amazing event with 250 people registered, eight vendors, 80-plus raffles and speakers,” said Boyle.
Your Next Step is the Cure 5K’s passion is driven by Boyle and O’Brien and their connection to a rare cancer called ocular melanoma (OM), for which there is no cure.
“Together, we have poured their love into this event and brought it to where it is today,” said Boyle. “We are proud of our accomplishments and what we do to bring awareness to OM and their help to raising funds towards research.”
Boyle and O’Brien feel that all their success goes to the wonderful participants, sponsors, donors, vendors and community that rallied around them and are proud to say that, with all their efforts, they raised $21,000.
The pair would also like to thank the businesses that were so generous in supporting their event: Art Monkey, Amici’s, Park Square Social, Anytime Fitness, Fields & Table, Cadence Wellness & Nutrition (Melissa Greenwood), Jammin Juice, Allegra Spa Cafe, Fishhawk Mobile Detailing (Dylan Davis), Pinch A Penny, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, Dog Gone Holistic, The Scrambled Egg, Uncle Louie G’s, Heroes Paradise, Cheryl’s Crafting Corner-C Cubed, Jess Waldrop Aesthetics, At Last Chiropractor, Grain & Berry, Salon Jennifer (Danielle Greer), Glory Days and Camp Gladiator.
“We would be remiss if they did not mention the talent of DJ Costco (Tim Coffey) nor the beautiful voice of Kaylee Strickland, who sang the national anthem,” added Boyle, who would also like to thank the Newsome Drum Group and student volunteers from Newsome High School and Randall Middle School. “Also, a huge shout-out to FishHawk Bagels for providing bagels and cream cheese to all the participants.”
Boyle and O’Brien are excited for what the future holds and their continued efforts with the Melanoma Research Foundation – Cure OM. They have already scheduled the next event to take place on October 1, 2022. Find the group on Facebook to learn more and keep up to date with fundraising events.
