About 250 runners and walkers helped to raise more than $4,250 for Hospice of the Valley on Saturday in an event sponsored by an ASU business fraternity.
Alpha Kappa Psi put together the event to raise money and promote awareness for the Helping Hand Fund, part of Hospice of the Valley.
Hospice provides care for patients with illnesses that may restrict them from completing everyday tasks, either in their own home or at a hospice facility, said Katrina Brumm, co-chair of the 5K run.
Hospice also helps families of patients cope with their loved one’s illness.
Trisha Matteson, a special event coordinator for Hospice, said the Helping Hand Fund provides financial relief for patients and their families in hospice care.
“The Helping Hand Fund is used for a number of things,” Matteson said. “If a patient needs their electricity bill paid, or if a patient has a last wish.”
Alpha Kappa Psi supports charity events every year, Brumm said. This year, members decided plan the run — one of the biggest events they had ever worked on, she said.
Brumm, a marketing senior, said Hospice of the Valley is a cause close to her heart, as her grandmother passed away during hospice care a year ago. Brumm said through her experience with Hospice, she met others who were going through the same thing.
A family she knew through Hospice was dealing with a father passing away. The man’s wife had to take time off from work to care for her dying husband and four children, Brumm said. She knew the family was in distress not only emotionally, but also financially, she said.
“That’s when I started talking with a representative at Hospice to see how we could help people in that situation,” Brumm said, and the Helping Hand Fund does just that.
Participants could either run or walk the 5K that started and finished at the Tempe Center for the Arts. Brumm said about $8 of participants’ registration fees went to the Helping Hand Fund, while a majority of donations came from local businesses.
Tony Crump, owner of the local frozen yogurt shop Spoon Me, ran the 3.1 miles, and his business sponsored the event.
“We just want to help however we can,” he said.
Crump said each month the Spoon Me staff donates its tips to a different charity, and this month, the staff contributed to the Helping Hand Fund through the Alpha Kappa Psi event. So far, Spoon Me has collected $80 to give to the fund.
Participant Jessica Blank, a supply chain management senior, said she walked the route with her family. The event was important to her because she has a connection with Hospice, she said.
“In September my step-grandma was in hospice care before she passed away,” Blank said. “And my aunt was in a hospice home for her last three weeks. She passed about two weeks ago.”
Blank said she was happy to walk for her family and for the cause.
She said she thought the fundraiser was an accomplishment for everyone involved, no matter how much money was raised.
“I think it’s a success even if [Alpha Kappa Psi] donates $5 at the end,” Blank said.
And the event was not all about the donation to the fund, Brumm said, but also about educating people about Hospice and the Helping Hand Fund.
“[Alpha Kappa Psi] wanted to raise awareness of the [Helping Hand] Fund so when the economy does turn around, and people go to donate to something, they will think of Hospice of the Valley,” she said.
Reach the reporter at abigail.gilmore@asu.edu.
