June 24, 2013
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Bronx, N.Y. -
It was an uncommonly early wakeup call for members of the Fordham University men's basketball team on Sunday morning. But the Rams were more than happy to roll out of bed at what some consider an ungodly hour as they were on a mission, a mission to help one of their own as the Rams spent Sunday morning running the streets of New Hyde Park, New York, as part of Katie's Run, a charity run to benefit The Katie McBride Foundation.
Katie McBride was the sister of former Fordham men's basketball manager Mike McBride, GSB `13, 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.
"As a program we are always looking at ways to give back to the community and when we first heard of this last year we were all in," said head coach Tom Pecora. "Mike McBride has been a valued member of our program and he comes from a great family. To do something like this to benefit his sister's foundation was an easy decision to make."
In its fourth 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 $15,000 and the McBride family was hoping for an even better total in 2013.
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 2013 Katie's Run was comprised of returning players Ryan Canty, Jared Fay, Branden Frazier, DC Gaitley, Travion Leonard, Jermaine Myers, Khalid Robinson, Bryan Smith and Mandell Thomas along with incoming freshmen Antoine Anderson and Jake Fay, and Director of Basketball Operations Mike DePaoli.
Jared Fay paced the team, finishing the 5K course in about 22 minutes despite running most of the race with one shoe untied, placing him among the top 40 overall finishers and the top ten among men ages 20 to 24.
"It means so much to me and my family to have the team here again this year," said Mike McBride, speaking about the Rams who came out to support his sister's charity. "It really shows that these guys are much more than just basketball players. They are true student-athletes who are really a big family. For them to give up their Sunday morning to help raise funds for my sister's charity is unreal. They're a very special group!"
