BabyWill.org

Need to let everyone know we have decided not to do our SIDS 5k this year. This was a tough decision because we know so many people look forward to the event. But we need to make time to regroup and recharge.

Many of you know we operate Baby Will in our spare time outside of our normal jobs. It is a labor of love that we started 6 years ago after our son Will passed away.

Last year’s 5k event really took a toll on us. In spite of having incredible support from local businesses, and an army of 70 volunteers, our event only raised $3,000. We know the purpose of the event is more than just raising money, but the bigger the event gets the more we have to invest upfront. This gets stressful and risky. Last year it looked like we were going to lose money up until 3 days before the event.

This decision is also about finding a better way to do more. We remain as committed to the cause as ever. In fact, our family is making a new donation of $8,000 to support our mission. This is equivalent to the total amount raised from all our events last year. Our intent is to offset what we could have raised this year, while giving us time to regroup and assess our strategy going forward.

However, a big part of this decision is also driven by a need to spend more time with our family. This past Monday was supposed to be our son Will’s sixth birthday. We miss him terribly. On a personal note, so much has happened during the last six years, and we have not fully taken time to process everything we have experienced. We also need some time to recharge and refocus on some of the life lessons our son taught us during his short time on earth.

We cannot thank everyone enough supporting the SIDS 5k over the years. The love of friends and strangers has played an immeasurable role in getting us back on our feet. We hope you can understand this tough decision to take a break. Stay tuned for the next chapter!

We have thousands of incredible pictures from yesterdays SIDS 5K. After going through just the first 500 these were some of our favorites! Download your favorites for free and share with friends. Visit:
Camera 1: http://www.fleshmanphoto.com/14sids5k1/
Camera: http://www.fleshmanphoto.com/14sids5k2/
Camera: http://www.fleshmanphoto.com/14sids5k3/

Great news! We were just given the opportunity to say a few words about the SIDS 5k at the FreeForAll Concert Series tonight featuring 10,000 Maniacs in the Brewery District—just a block away from the 5k starting line! This is a great way for us to expand our reach and get some last minute registrations...but it is also a 10,000 Maniacs concert! How cool is that! Did we tell you how much we love our new location in the Brewery District? The whole community has taken us in an embraced our cause. We cannot thank them enough! Pick up your free concert tickets at World of Beer on Front St. Doors open tonight at 6:30, and show begins at 7:30pm. Also, don’t forget online SIDS 5K registration closes tonight at 5pm, but we will have race day registration available tomorrow morning from 9:30-10:50am. Learn more and register at www.babywill.org/5k.