UPCOMING EVENTS!!!

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2008 Walk/Run/Ride

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Second Wind's 7th annual walk/run/ride will take place on Sunday, September 21, 2008. This Lakewood, CO event will again start at Green Mountain High School and end at Green Mountain Presbyterian Church. We will be planning for at least 3,000 participants! Please put the date on your calendar and plan to join us.

Our speakers will this year's event include our emcee, former Miss Colorado and media personality Shellene Cockrell; Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy; Colorado Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff; and Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Cindy Stevenson.

We're excited to announce that our entertainer this year is Nina Storey! You'll definitely want to stay for the delicious lunch and Nina's concert, both of which will take place at Green Mountain Presbyterian Church.

On-line registration will be available on June 1, 2008. We have continued the same price for participants, with youth $10 each and adults $25 each. The price increases $5 a person on September 14.

Those wishing to make a more significant donation to Second Wind can collect pledges. A minimum of $40 pledges will waive the registration fee. Those collecting a minimum of $100 will receive a special prize of free bowling from Bowl-ero and free food from Atlanta Bread Company and Qdoba.

Our top prize is again a one week's stay in a condo on Molokai, generously donated by Bill and Nancy Omeron. The top pledge-earner (at least $5,000 in pledges) will win that prize. If that person collects at least $7,500 in pledges, airfare for two to Molokai will also be included.

SCHEDULE

Thursday, September 18, 2008, 4:00-8:00 pm - Pre-registration, t-shirt pick-up, and Book Fair at Barnes & Noble, 14347 W. Colfax Avenue in Lakewood.  In addition, support Second Wind at the Denver West's Mimi's (flyer required) and/or Cold Stone Creamery, both donating a percentage of September 18 sales.  

Saturday, September 20, 2008, 10:00 am-2:00 p.m. - Pre-registration and t-shirt pick-up at Green Mountain High Schoo, 13175 W. Green Mountain Drive, Lakewood. 

Sunday, September 21, 2008 - Start events at Green Mountain High School, 13175 W. Green Mountain Drive, Lakewood.

7:00-10:00 a.m. - Pancake Breakfast (50% proceeds benefit Second Wind Fund)

9:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. - Registration, entertainment, free massages, give-aways at sponsors booths, and speakers including Shellene Cockrell, Hon. Bob Murphy, Mayor of Lakewood, Rep. Andrew Romanoff, Colorado Speaker of the House, and Dr. Cindy Stevenson, Jeffco Schools Superintendent.

11:30 a.m. - Registration for timed runners closes

12:25 p.m. - White dove release by Lakewood Luncheon Optimists

12:30 p.m. - Fun Family Bike Ride and 1 mile walk

12:35 p.m. - 3 mile run

12:38 p.m. - 3 mile walk

Finish Events at Green Mountain Presbyterian Church, 12900 W. Alameda Parkway, Lakewood

12:45-2:30 p.m. - Free BBQ, sandwiches, and taco bar; prize announcements, kids' activities presented by MOMS Club of Lakewood, and free massages.  Free concert by Nina Storey presented by Jose O'Shea's.

2007 Walk/Run/Ride

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Second Wind Fund’s 6th annual walk/run/ride was held on Sunday, September 23, 2007. It was our best yet, with 2600 participants and $162,000 raised! As always, it was a fun and meaningful event. Our speakers, particularly Colorado First Lady Jeannie Ritter, gave passionate messages to the crowd. To get the flavor of this outstanding event, watch the video.

For the first time, the event started at Green Mountain High School (GMHS), where additional fundraisers (Faith Mountain Church sponsored a car wash and the Green Mountain High School Marching Band provided a pancake breakfast) took place. The ¼ mile GMHS track was used for the one mile track. A new, less hilly three mile course was used for the bike ride, timed run, and walk.

All participants received complimentary pizza/BBQ/tacos/sandwiches, dessert buffet (cookies, cakes, and pies), massages, music by Green Mountain High School Marching Band, concert by Tempa and the Tantrums, t-shirt and a goody bag. Speakers included Colorado First Lady Jeannie Ritter, Lakewood Mayor Steve Burkholder, and Jeffco Schools Superintendent Cindy Stevenson. A commemorative dove release provided a moving experience for those present.


2007 WALK/RUN/RIDE PRIZE WINNERS!!!

Race Results:

Adult - Female
Adult - Male
Student - Male
Student - Female

Most Money Raised:
#1 – Kallie, John, & Skye Benjamin, who won the Hawaii trip!
#2 – Anita Weber, who won the Vail ski week-end!
#3 – Ginny Lefebvre, who won the Cherry Creek package!

Adult pledge winners:
#1 – Nancy Papke
#2 – Jewel Lewis
#3 – Gale Lull
#4 - Jennifer Finger

Student pledge winners:
#1 – Hayley Barrett
#2 – Alex Castanon
#3 – Allen Scavetta
#4 – Lexy Schley
#5 – Mitchell Ekren

Schools, businesses/civic groups, and faith communities bringing the largest teams were rewarded with significant challenge prizes as follows:

WINNING SCHOOLS:
#1 – Green Mountain High School won a dance party with DJ Dave and food donated by Just Joe’s and Sonic Burgers.
#2 – Cherokee Trail High School won homemade gourmet ice cream from Good Stuff ice cream (for event participants).
#3 – Lakewood High School won a 4’ by 10” full-colored, digitally printed banner by Signs By Tomorrow.

WINNING BUSINESSES/CIVIC GROUPS:
#1 – Kinder Morgan won 30 tickets to the Rockies vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, September 29, donated by the Colorado Rockies
#2 – Lakewood MOMS won a gourmet coffee break courtesy of Village Roaster and the Taste of Denmark Bakery.
#3 – Green Mountain Dental Group won eight greens fees, includings golf carts with GPS, at Broadlands Golf Course in Broomfield.

WINNING FAITH GROUPS:
Large:
#1 – Abiding Hope Lutheran Church won carpet cleaning courtesy of Heaven’s Best carpet cleaning.
#2 – Green Mountain United Methodist Church won $500 worth of labor and materials for professional refurbishment of stained glass, windows, doors, or screens by Foothills Glass.

Small:
#1 – Faith Mountain Church won a one hour website consultation and three hours of website work courtesy of up2speed computer solutions.
#2 – B’nai Chaim won 3 hours fall clean-up by the Second Wind Green Team.

MISCELLANEOUS WINNERS
Senior male pre-registered participant:
#1 – David Wylie

Senior female pre-registered participant:
#1 – Audrey Welte

Youngest female pre-registered participant:
#1 – Ellarae Kreutzer

Youngest male pre-registered participant:
#1 – Max Bisang

Best dog costume:
#1 – Beau, owned by Katherine Jerome


2006 Walk/Run/Ride

Sunday, September 24, 2006

In just its 5th year, the Second Wind Fund’s 2006 annual walk/run/ride, vies for the title of largest suicide prevention fundraiser in the nation. The estimated 1900 participants/volunteers enjoyed an amazing sequence of speakers (including Lakewood Mayor Steve Burkholder, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, and Jeffco Schools Superintendent Cindy Stevenson), entertainment, and both fun and commemorative moments. $104,000 was raised, allowing Second Wind to continue its expansion throughout the Denver metro area by adding the remaining Denver and Adams county and all Cherry Creek schools to its coverage area.

All participants received a free BBQ lunch/taco bar/sandwich bar, cookies/cheesecake/ice cream, massage, music by Green Mountain High School Marching Band, concert by Tempa and the Tantrums, t-shirt and a goody bag. Speakers included Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Lakewood Mayor Steve Burkholder, and Jeffco Superintendent Cindy Stevenson. A commemorative dove release provided a moving experience for those present.

The top pledge-earner (minimum $5,000) would have received two airplane tickets to Hawaii and a week's stay at a luxurious Molokai condominium. Unfortunately, we did not have a winner for this fantastic prize package. Kristen Kelly won 2nd Prize, a week in Winter Park, and Claire Botich won 3rd Prize, a weekend in Cherry Creek. Congratulations to both Kristen and Claire! We appreciate your hard work and support of Second Wind!!!

School, corporate, and faith communities bringing the largest teams were rewarded with significant challenge prizes as follows:

WINNING SCHOOLS:

Please click here for runner results. Remember when looking at these times that our course is VERY hilly!"


Sunday, September 18, 2005

Our 4th Annual Walk/Run, again broke all previous records, with 1,400 people on hand. The day was perfectly comfortable, with highs in the high 70s and a swarm of 150 volunteers organized to pull off a marquee community event. While many of the event's favorite elements remained the same--a BBQ picnic, Opie Gone Bad, massages, kids' tent, Shellene Cockrell, Mayor Steve Burkholder and Superintendent Cindy Stevenson--the new elements made the day.

An all-new walk/run course was accompanied by Jose O'Shea's offering the crowd an alternative to burgers and hot dogs with a zesty taco bar; KNUS AM 710 broadcasting live from the event; Denver Councilman Rick Garcia spoke of the program's expansion into Denver; Mollie O'Brien from "A Prairie Home Companion" brought many in the crowd to tears with a touching song about loss; suicide prevention and mental health organizations offered information and stories, and a pair of friendly llamas even completed the hilly 3-mile walk. In addition, KNUS Radio AM 710 provided live coverage of the event, with Community Affairs host Mark Crowley interviewing Second Wind Fund volunteer Ken Wiig, suicide survivor and clinician Katie Ford, Jefferson Foundation Executive Director Mona Sandoval, Second Wind Co-Founder and Executive Director Jeff Lamontagne, Lakewood Mayor Steve Burkholder, and Suicide Prevention and Intervention Network Co-Founders Bob and Jan Burnside. However, the finest moment in the short history of the event came when Dr. Marjorie Laird and Rabbi Joel Schwartzman offered up a contemplative yet penetrating prayer about life to the massed crowd, which fell silent. At the conclusion of the prayer, white homing doves were released, and the crowd observed two minutes of silence in memory of loved ones lost to suicide. The doves swirled overhead with the crowd being as quiet as such a large group could possibly be. With the attention of so many being so quietly focused on the same topic, many participants described the moment as among the most profound in their lives--ranging from "transforming" to "electric." Amidst the fun of the rest of the event, those few minutes brought to everyone's attention the issues that bound them all there that day.

Kristin Jones raised almost $1,400 in pledges, with Debbie Price and Dana Conroy raising approximately $900 and $700, respectively.

 

Sunday, September 12, 2004


Given the success of the 2003 event, the Second Wind Fund was able to expand to a total of 10 Jeffco schools, then adding McLain, Wheat Ridge, Golden, Conifer, Evergreen, and Jefferson High Schools to the list of schools eligible to access the program. The event's crowd also made "when" rather than "if" the key question about a potential third annual walk/run.

Preparations for the September 2004 walk/run began earlier again, this time in February 2004, as new people began helping the team. Corporate sponsors such as Front Range Bank, Six and Geving Insurance, TechLaw, Gambro, Wells Fargo, and 1st Bank all returned, and many more new sponsors began joining in. In fact, Front Range Bank agreed to become the first title sponsor of the event. Our faith community partners from the year before--Lutheran Church of the Master, Green Mountain United Methodist Church, Mile Hi Church of Religious Science, and Christ on the Mountain Catholic Church all also returned, and others from northern and southern Jefferson County joined in as well. With Shellene Cockrell and Mayor Burkholder agreeing to support us once again, we had a core of some of our most important organizations and public figures returning to the event.

The energetic and talented Opie Gone Bad, one of the more popular local bands in Denver, agreed to play to the crowd, and certainly added to the event's draw. Opie Gone Bad was sponsored by Jose O'Shea's. In addition, Dr. Cynthia Stevenson, Superintendent of Jeffco Public Schools, came out to speak as well. Still, we wanted to feed everyone a barbecue lunch, and the Colorado School of Healing Arts promised to massage any participant that came to their tent. Local businesses such as Theater Video and Baja Fresh also promised free gifts for those raising more than $100 in pledges.

With increased press attention and adding features to the event, the crowd swelled to 1,000--900 participants and over 100 volunteers--even though it was a hotter-than-usual day, with highs in the mid-upper 80s. Individuals from many local civic clubs came and had fun with us, and approximately 350 students participated too. With 10 partnering churches and teams from many of our corporate sponsors, the event was driven by a cross-section of the community rather than any one element of it.

Kristin Jones and Brian Holcomb each raised amazing amounts of pledges, with both bringing well over $1,000 to the table, greatly assisting our cause. A total of nearly $64,000 was raised through the event, allowing the program to fulfill its commitment to schools for another year, as well as to expand its services.

 

Sunday, September 14, 2003


In the months following the 2002 Walk/Run, GMPC's Dr. Marjorie Laird worked with GMHS to set up a program that would genuinely assist in addressing suicide among the teen population. When the counselors responded that the best use of the money raised at the walk/run would be to help pay for professional counseling for uninsured or underinsured kids who were having suicidal thoughts, Dr. Laird worked with the GMHS counselors to identify several in the area who had experience with working with such a population and who were willing to work at a reduced rate. In January 2003, GMHS counselor Jay Lang made the first student referral to Second Wind, and every week or two after that, new referrals came in to Second Wind from GMHS. In March 2003, with the fund dwindling faster than had been anticipated, a surprise came when representatives from other high schools in the area called Second Wind and asked whether they could also access the fund for their students, as they had students that fit the same criteria.

After deciding to expand to the additional schools, it was clear that the resources of the fund would not last much longer, and that there would be a continuing need for these resources. As a result, in April 2003, planning started for a second annual walk/run.

In an attempt to broaden the base of community organizations supporting this effort, the Second Wind team began seeking partnerships with local businesses in the form of sponsorships, as well as working with other churches to participate in the walk/run as well. In addition, Second Wind partnered with The Jefferson Foundation, Jefferson County's private, independent nonprofit foundation that works to raise money for special programs for Jeffco Public Schools. Several businesses and churches, mostly from the Green Mountain community, made donations and came out to participate in the event. Members of Runaway Express came out to play during the picnic, and speakers included Lakewood Mayor Steve Burkholder, State Sen. Deanna Hanna, and former Jeffco School Board President Jon DeStefano. Channel 2's Shellene Cockrell, a former Miss Colorado, served as the event's emcee. Unlike the prior year, many students from the high schools served by Second Wind--GMHS, Alameda, Bear Creek, and Lakewood--came out to support the cause.

In all, over 350 people, including volunteers, came out to the walk/run that day, which was very cool in the morning and only reached a high in the upper 60s. Mayor Burkholder and Shellene Cockrell spoke atop a flatbed trailer in the church parking lot, with a makeshift sound system. The regular church potluck was supplemented by a hard-working barbecuing team, which kept up with the crowd. For the first time, parents who had lost their teens to suicide showed up to the event.

With the bigger crowd, local press coverage, and a total of $23,000 raised that day, the Second Wind Walk/Run seemed to become a permanent fixture. Thanks to Karen Heismann and JC Cox, who each raised over $600 in pledges for Second Wind for that day.

 

Sunday, September 8, 2002


In the spring of 2002, following three suicides at Green Mountain High School (GMHS), Scott Fletcher and Jeff Lamontagne of Green Mountain Presbyterian Church's Membership, Fellowship, and Evangelism (MFE) Committee initially discussed putting on a public fundraiser to benefit the school. Because of other commitments at that time, a decision was made to not do the event right away, but rather to do a walk/run tied to the church's annual picnic in the late summer or fall. In July 2002, Scott and Jeff decided to move forward with planning a walk/run, and enlisted the help of the MFE Committee, which was supportive of the idea. Setting the date two months out allowed time to plan the basic logistics of the event, though it didn't allow much time for getting the word out to the public once the basic details were settled. The planning of the walk/run took on an extra degree of urgency upon the news that a fourth student at GMHS had taken his life in July 2002.

After this short planning period, the first "Second Wind" Walk/Run was held on Sunday, September 8, 2002, a warm day in the low 80s. Having no idea how many people would participate, and with registration fees set at $10 for students and $20 for adults, a minimum goal of $500 was set. Mike Feeley, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress and a resident of the immediate neighborhood, came to speak to the small assembled crowd, and he acknowledged the impact of the suicides on the community. In the end, a total of 66 people participated in the event, including 54 people from GMPC and 12 of friends from the community. With that small crowd, there was little notice by the community of the walkers and runners moving down the streets, but nearly $4,000 was raised that day, with approximately $300 each raised by the church's Claire Botich, Kathi Worthington, and the Harless Family. A garage clock and stopwatch were used as timers, and the church picnic, potluck as usual, was sufficient to feed the dozen extra guests.

Despite the fact that the fundraising total exceeded the set goal, there were no plans for a second walk/run.

 

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Please check out our gallery page for pictures of the event, and please click here if you would like to help promote next year's walk/run/ride event or volunteer on the big day!