11/30/2017

Gil's Memorial Run Raises $2,200 for the Seacoast Cancer Center

Nicole Rogier organized Gil's Memorial Run to honor her late grandfather.  She raised $2,200 for the Seacoast Cancer Center through this event.  To learn more about why she organized this fundraiser we asked her a few questions:

Nicole, why did you decide to organize a fundraiser to benefit the Seacoast Cancer Center?

As a senior at Coe Brown, there is a component for graduation - a senior project. I had this idea for several years; it really came to me one day when I was hiking with my mom (we both participate in many events through Millennium Running in Manchester, NH). We had talked about my senior project and how great it'd feel to donate something back to the organization that helped our family during the time my Papa needed cancer treatments.

Why did you choose to do a 3K event?

The 3k walk- run came from the appreciation I grew to have for walking (and now running) as a direct connection I had with my Papa. Plus, he walked our neighborhood everyday he could, which was about 3 miles. I knew that planning a full 5k (3.1 miles) was really a lot of work, so I kept it small by doing the 3k. I wanted it to be a walk-run so that everyone, regardless of their age or ability, could participate.

What was the most surprising thing that happened while you planned and implemented your event?

The most surprising part of this entire project was really seeing how much money was raised in such a short time. I believe if I had reached back few more sponsors and got the word out more, it could have easily reached another goal amount. It also made me feel like this was a truly important cause to many people and one people were willing to support.

Did you learn something new by holding Gil’s Memorial Run? If so, what?

I definitely learned a lot from this project! It takes a lot of work and time and help to turn an idea into an actual event! I have a whole new understanding and level of appreciation for others and what goes into their event planning because of what I know went into into my little event. I also learned that the success of my event was based on my level of involvement, which was challenging because I'm a little shy.

What else should we know about your event?

My event grew from a simple idea I had to honor my Papa in a giving back type of way to an actual event. It made me feel so inspired to donate the funds raised! I was able to turn this into not just a graduation project, but something really beneficial to others - what a gift and an honor for me, and really everyone who supported Gil's Memorial Run to be a part of. A lot of people expressed an interest in us doing this again next year because they felt it was supporting such a great cause and there were many people who were impressed at what Gil's Memorial Run accomplished in terms of fund- raising! I feel really good about that!

Are you interested in organizing a community fundraiser to benefit Wentworth-Douglass?  Please contact Emily, 603.740.3292 and she will be happy to help you!