The 2nd Annual Jog for Julie 5K Was a Great Community Success

The 2nd Annual Jog for Julie 5K took place this past Saturday.  The event is in honor of the late Julie Swistak Maloney, local North Kingstown High School graduate, Jamestown native, mother, friend, wife, beloved community member.  Friends and family gathered at the North Kingstown High School Saturday morning around 8:30 am, where the race began with an impassioned speech by Julie’s husband and father of their 4 children, Sean.  Sean’s speech was warm and friendly, as has been his demeanor and personality for the roughly 30 years I’ve known him.  Sean mentioned Julie, his family, his children, his friends, and supporters as well as the cause – to bring awareness to the valuable work at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.  At around 9am, we, the roughly 750 participants, made our way out to Fairway Drive and the start of the 5K.  Some chose to run (I saw Kevin O’Neil and can guarantee he was running) while others chose to walk and mingle with friends and family. The weather conditions were ideal for a Saturday morning event.  Volunteers with water and directions lined Annaquatucket and Tower Hill Rd., then into Wickford Village, across the Hussey Bridge and down Boston Neck Rd.  Walkers, joggers, kids, parents, grandparents all being a part of our community and supporting one of our own.  At the race’s finish line party, I was lucky enough to get 2 minutes with Sean and congratulated him on the day.  Sean never forgets to mention Julie, her strength, her dedication to him, his children, his friends, his family.  It was an extraordinary event for our community and I am so blessed to have been a part of it.

To learn more about the work Dana Farber does, click on this link.  www.dana-farber.org

I was able to capture a few images during the event.  Click on the video link to view the race from my perspective.