man’s efforts link runners with partners with special needs

by Kevin Bonham from the Grand Forks Herald:
CROOKSTON — When Tim Boyle started running less than 15 months ago, his goal simply was to get off the couch.

“I had quit smoking and I found that all I was doing was sitting around, getting fatter,” the 41-year-old Crookston resident said last week. “All I did was trade one bad habit for another.”

It worked. He got into shape and started running competitively, entering the 5K in Sunshine Foundation’s Walk and Fun Run in Grand Forks in January.

After finishing the run, he posted a photo on Facebook.

Among those commenting on his photo was someone named Michael Wasserman, a 52-year-old California resident who has Down syndrome and bilateral hip dysplasia.

Wasserman is an artist whose works were featured this fall in an online gallery sponsored by the International Down Syndrome Coalition.

Boyle praised Wasserman’s artwork and commented that he would think of him when he runs.

Wasserman’s mother posted his response: “You can run for me any time.”

That’s all it took.

Later that month, Boyle founded Who I Run 4, a non-profit organization matching athletes with special-needs children and adults.

Spread the word

The group, which spreads its message through Facebook.com/IRunFor and a new WhoIRun4.com website, has grown incredibly fast. Membership reached 10,000 last week, with members in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and 26 countries.

Who I Run 4 already has matched more than 3,000 athletes with special needs partners.

“We’ve got 1,600 runners waiting for a buddy,” Boyle said.

So far, about 80 percent of the special needs membership is made up of children. Boyle hopes it grows to include more adults.

The athletes do not raise money for their online buddies. Rather, they provide inspiration by posting pictures, reports on their progress or awards and messages. They also tag the parents, so they can monitor the exchanges.

For athletes, it provides a sense of purpose — training or competing on the child’s behalf.

“They can dedicate an event or a workout to their buddy,” Boyle said.

For the special needs children and their families, it’s a new kind of connection.

“Parents say this gives them a sense of freedom,” he said. “This allows an outsider in and promotes awareness. There’s somebody outside that cocoon thinking about their child.”

Inspiration

Boyle’s initial inspiration came from a quote he read on Google: “I run because I can. When I get tired, I remember those who can’t run, what they’d give to have this simple gift I take for granted, and I run harder for them. I know they would do the same for me.”

He modified the quote, to serve as the motto for Who I Run 4: “God gave us the gift of mobility; others aren’t as fortunate. I run for Michael. Who do you run for?”

“We’ve got beginners. We’ve got veteran Boston Marathon runners,” Boyle said.

Among the members is the USA Inline Speed Skating World Team.

Another is Renee Baio, wife of actor Scott Baio, who probably is best known for his role as Chachi in the 1970s sitcom “Happy Days.” Renee Baio is president of the Bailey Baio Angel Foundation, which raises money for special needs children. It is named for their daughter.

Who I Run 4 officially supports four different organizations: Special Olympics; Make-A-Wish Foundation; International Down Syndrome Coalition; and the Hands and Feet Coalition.

The group, which is run by volunteers, has conducted one fund-raising event, so far, raising nearly $12,000. It plans to be a major sponsor of the Sunshine Foundation’s 2014 Walk and Fun Run.

Setting a goal

Boyle, who grew up in Crookston, was a police officer in Montgomery, Ala., from 2003 to 2006. These days, he works at Digi-Key, the electronics components distributor in Thief River Falls.

He spends at least 40 hours a week working with the charity and runs nine to 12 miles a week. He also has a small staff of volunteers.

His goal is to raise enough money to start paying a staff and, perhaps, to work it full-time himself.

He’s set an initial goal of raising about $40,000 annually — perhaps $1,000 each from 40 corporate sponsors. That would allow the non-profit charity to expand its fund-raising efforts.

“If we could get to that point, it would be just great,” he said. “This sure beats life on the couch.”

Adult Down syndrome center a passion, and ‘a blessing’

by Eileen Daday from the Daily Herald:

Dr. Brian Chicoine of Arlington Heights was among the more than 10,000 runners who ran the Chicago Marathon for charity. But he was the only one to run it for the Adult Down Syndrome Center in Park Ridge.

It was the sixth time Chicoine ran the marathon for the center and over the years he has raised more than $300,000 for its programs. This year alone, he raised $20,000 and money continues to come in.

The Adult Down Syndrome Center is the only one of its kind in the Midwest and is a program offered by Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and its medical group.

Last week, Chicoine and his staff hosted an open house at their newly completed facility, located just west of the hospital.

While the facility has been open since late April, they waited until October, known nationally as Down syndrome awareness month, to open its doors to the public.

What started 20 years ago with Chicoine seeing patients two mornings a week has evolved into a full time center that offers a holistic approach to meeting the medical and psychosocial needs of its clients.

Since its inception, more than 5,000 patients have been served and it now treats 2,000 individuals per year.

SureSteps provide stability for children who pronate while standing and walking

from SureStep:

SureStep is the most effective means of providing stability to children who pronate when standing and walking. This patented, dynamic system allows children to gain stability, while still allowing normal movement and function. Children with low muscle tone who have trouble with stability due to pronation can now walk, run and jump without the delays and instabilities that often result. SureStep is not a different brace, but rather a completely unique system that manages the foot and ankle without over-managing.
 
Until now, custom orthoses have always required casting which is messy and often traumatic to smaller children. SureStep is not only conceptually unique, but also unique because it requires no casting. Nine simple measurements provide all the necessary information to create the model of the foot and ankle over which the SureStep is custom fabricated. This means that no matter where you are, SureStep is available to you.

If you are tired of chasing red marks, pressure areas, calluses and blisters, then SureStep will be a welcome change. The frequency of skin irritations normally associated with custom orthoses reduces dramatically with SureStep. This is due in part to the softness and flexibility of the material used to create the SureStep system. The plastic is approximately the thickness and consistency of a plastic milk jug. This allows the orthosis to "flex" with the foot without applying undue pressure to the navicular, malleoli and metatarsal heads.

"As an orthotist and a father of a child with low muscle tone, I was determined to provide the best orthotic treatment regimen for my son Kevin. When Kevin was younger, I fabricated a variety of orthotics for his severely pronated feet. Some restricted certain activities like jumping; some made his legs tired and sore; some gave him blisters and callused areas; some just simply slowed him down. Frustrated by the functional limitations created by traditional rigid bracing made of hard plastics, I pursued the creation of a lighter and more flexible device that would allow and even encourage normal development of a child’s gait without decreasing function."

~ Bernie Veldman, CO