Running for Kate
25 June 2009Both young and old take part in special run.
Pilkington’s Bill Waldron has no problem managing 500-plus Pilkington AGR delivery vehicles for over 100 North American Service Centers. But when it came to steering 500-plus charity runners around a 5k course in his own hometown in Columbus, Ohio, he frankly admits to being ‘overwhelmed’.
The run was launched in memory of Bill's daughter Kate, who was tragically killed in a car accident last November. Kate was a single mother, with three young children, and her friends suggested the event to raise money for the youngsters' education.
“It all took off so quickly,” said Bill, who is standardization, fleet and facilities manager for the Automotive Glass Replacement business. “I didn't know how to plan a route, how to start the runners off - did I need a starting gun? What about numbers? I've just never done anything like this before - I didn't have a clue!”
“People said we'd probably get 50 or 60 runners, maybe 150 if we were lucky. In the end, we got 530. The local radio station came and more than 20 local businesses sponsored us, including Pilkington.”
“Kate was the most gregarious, open-hearted and fun-loving girl you could meet and she made a lot of very good friends. People flew in from
The run on March 7, 2009 raised $15,000, which has gone into an education fund for Kate’s children Haley, 8, Kevin, 5, and Austin, 2, who now live with Bill and his wife Lynne. The idea was such a success; it will become an annual event in aid of The Smile Train, a charity that provides corrective surgery for third world children suffering from cleft palate.
“Kate will always be remembered for her smile and if she could put a smile on the face of a child for the rest of their life, that would please her more than anything,” said Bill.