I had briefly mentioned this in the email I sent out the other day, but wanted to pay it more respect today with its own post. A very good friend of mine, Kirby Koettker, is running a half marathon on Sunday morning at 7am. He has been training for months and months and has decided to raise money for Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation. It is a really incredibly humbling thing for me to have a buddy do this for my son and our foundation and I am posting more information below.
The net of it is he is donating $10 for every minute under 2 hours and 30 minutes that he runs the half marathon in. He has been running it around 2 hours and 15 minutes. I am matching his donation to MOHF and will donate $10 for every minute under 2:30 he finishes.
We are asking for either flat-rate donations ($1 or $2 or $5 or whatever you are comfortable with) or "per minute" donations as Kirby and I have done above.
Here is more information on the Go! St. Louis organization and why Kirby felt compelled to help raise money for MOHF:
My name is Eric “Kirby” Koettker and I, like many of you, am a friend of the Ortyl family. I met Greg in high school and was lucky enough to play baseball with him from the time I was 14 through my senior year in college, along the way of course I met Becky and soon found out what all of you know, what a wonderful person she truly is. However, the bond that I share with each of you that read this short message is this…we think and pray for Oakes Ortyl, his big sister Isla and the success of the Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation (M.O.H.F.) each and every day. I marvel, like you all, at the absolute commitment and steadfast dedication that Becky and Greg have shown not only to Mighty Oakes, but to all that have surrounded them in this ordeal, including other families who have gone or are going through the same or worse situations. I like many of you, have never met Oakes Ortyl, but through the blogs, messages and e-mails that Becky and Greg unselfishly provide I feel like I have met him; I know that someday I will met Oakes and be inspired all over again.
In the meantime, I wanted to provide anyone who is interested to help raise a few bucks for the M.O.H.F. I will be running in the “GO” ½ marathon in downtown ST. LOUIS on Sunday April 15 (Greg’s B-Day by the way). I have been training for this race for many months and it has been a huge physical and mental challenge for me. I do not mind saying that Oakes and his family are on my mind much of the time. I think about how the “struggle” that I am going through in my training and how it pales in comparison to what the “Mighty” one has faced.
So here is the sales pitch…I am going to donate $10 to the foundation for every minute I finish under 2 hrs. and 30 min. I wanted to invite all of you that may so be inclined to pledge an amount (however big or small) to the same accord. I will tell you that my goal is to finish around 2 hours, so you can have an idea what your total pledge amount might be. Please just e-mail or contact Greg or Becky back as to what you may like to do (even if is a fixed amount) and after the race (Sunday evening) I will send my finishing time to Greg so he can post it to the group.
I know this is rather informal, but if we can raise a few dollars and at the same time heighten our thoughts and prayers for Oakes, I think it is worth it.
Thank you in advance for your generosity.
Eric “Kirby” Koettker
The GO! St. Louis Family Fitness Weekend, held in April each year, continues to be our signature event, attracting over 25,000 participants annually. Family Fitness Weekend features events and races for people of all ages and fitness abilities. The event is Missouri’s largest competitive fitness event and includes a marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, 5K run/walk, children’s fun runs and a mature mile. The Family Fitness Weekend has become a national model for other running organizations and communities, looking to inspire residents to make community wellness a priority. The 2012 event will be held on April 14 & 15
| Our Mission |
GO! St. Louis, a local non-profit organization, encourages individuals and families in the St. Louis region to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle year round. The organization accomplishes this through community collaborations, school based programming and the creation of new and fun fitness events.
The GO! St. Louis Family Fitness Weekend, held in April each year, continues to be our signature event, attracting over 23,000 participants from 47 states and 12 countries in 2010. The GO! St. Louis Family Fitness Weekend features 10 different races for all ages and fitness abilities. The event is Missouri’s largest competitive fitness event and includes a marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, 5K run/walk, children’s fun runs and a mature mile. The Family Fitness Weekend has become a national model for other running organizations and communities, looking to inspire residents to make community wellness a priority.
In addition to the annual Family Fitness Weekend, the innovative GO! St. Louis Read, Right & Run Marathon program for students is in its tenth year of inspiring children to read 26 books, right the community with 26 good deeds and run 26.6 miles in six months. During the current school year the program will be offered in more than 180 schools in the St. Louis region.
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