St. Margaret Foundation hopes to break record with 5K fundraiser

St. Margaret Foundation officials are aiming to top last year’s record-breaking fundraising total of $107,000 when participants hit the streets of Aspinwall on May 19 for the Brian Demchak Hope run/walk 5K.

The event begins at 8:30 a.m. at the UPMC St. Margaret campus near Aspinwall.

Hundreds of runners and walkers typically fill the race course, which winds from the hospital, through local streets and back to the hospital courtyard for a celebration.

St. Margaret Foundation President Mary Lee Gannon said the Hope Run helps fill in the gaps experienced by underserved patients with things such as medicine, transportation and health screenings.

The race is named in memory of Brian Demchak, who with his mother, Marie Louise (Tina) Demchak, made it a family tradition to run in the foundation’s 5k until he passed away in January 2016.

Participants can gather for the start of the event near the “Plant the Seed of Hope Memorial Garden,” filled with vibrant pink, yellow, orange and purple wind spinners. The plastic spinners can be purchased as tributes and taken home after the race.

An after-party at the hospital campus transforms the event into a family-friendly festival, Gannon said, with live music and free children’s activities, as well as a “Taste of Fox Chapel,” with food samples from local restaurants.

In 2018, O’Hara resident Jacob Halasowski won the 5K with a time of 16:46.26; Marianne Abdalah of Wexford was the first female to finish with a time of 19:14.10; Kaden Herchenroether of Hampton won first place in the physically challenged category with a time of 18:39.00.

Registration costs $30. Participants can register for free when they raise $50 or more in online fundraising. For more, visit StMargaretFoundation.org/5k.