June 24, 2012
Photo Gallery
New Hyde Park, N.J. -
It's not unusual to see members of the Fordham University men's basketball team running during the offseason. It is a bit out of the ordinary when the running is being done on a Sunday morning through the streets of New Hyde Park, New York, where the Rams competed in Katie's Run, a charity run to benefit The Katie McBride Foundation on June 24th.
Katie McBride was the sister of current Fordham men's basketball manager Mike McBride, who died from Burkitt's Lymphoma, a rare and aggressive childhood cancer, in 2008. Katie's Run, a project of the Katie McBride Foundation, honors the memory of Katie and the families of all childhood leukemia victims and other life-threatening diseases. This event's primary objective is to honor Katie while raising important funds and awareness of the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island and the family support services it provides.
"We stress to the players how important it is to give back to the community and this is a great way to do that since it involves one of our own," said head coach Tom Pecora. "Mike McBride is a dedicated member of the team and to be able to do something like this to benefit his sister's foundation was an easy decision to make."
In its third year, Katie's Run has grown immensely, starting with a few hundred runners the first year and featuring close to 1,000 competitors this year. Last year, the race raised $14,000 and the McBride family was hoping for an even better total in 2012.
All monies raised will go to the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island . The House is a home-away-from home for the families of seriously ill children who are undergoing medical care at local hospitals. The 42-bedroom facility, located on the campus of the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York (formerly known as Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park), was a place where Katie's mother spent nine months during Katie's treatments.
The Fordham contingent in the 2012 Katie's Run was comprised of returning players Ryan Canty, Jared Fay, Branden Frazier, DC Gaitley, Devon McMillan, Khalid Robinson, Jeffrey Short and Bryan Smith along with incoming freshmen Travion Leonard, Jermaine Myers and Mandell Thomas and Director of Basketball Operations Mike DePaoli and Video Coordinator Steven Raisfeld.
McMillan paced the team, finishing the 5K course in 21:29.24, good for 34th overall.
"It's great, I don't really have words for it now" said Mike McBride, speaking about the Rams who came out to support his sister's charity. "I'm really touched that these guys really care. The basketball team has a track record of doing events like this, such as visiting the hospital during the holidays. They're a very giving group and I can't say enough about them."
