July 24, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Run on course for July 26
by Paula M. Riley

When the Montgomery Child Advocacy Project (MCAP) was awarded the Run for the Hill of It, administrative director Mary Pugh, Esq., knew organizing the race would require a great deal of work.  What she didn’t know was how much help she would get.

This Saturday, July 26, the 21st Annual Run for the Hill of It will begin at 8:30 a.m., and the Fun Walk will start at 8:45 a.m.  Volunteers have been working hard during the last six months for this day, and Pugh has been amazed at the number of volunteers who contacted MCAP once it was announced it was the new race organizer and beneficiary.

“People just started calling asking if they could help out. It was wonderful,” Pugh says. 

One of the individuals assisting her was long-time volunteer Charles McKeever, who walked the entire race course with Pugh, identifying each and every detail she needed to know as race coordinator. 

“In all the times I had run the race (as a runner) before, I had never noticed all the things he pointed out to me,” Pugh says. “There are so many details he shared with me!”

McNally’s Tavern and The Friends of Erik (named for cystic fibrosis patient Erik Engwall) have sponsored the race for the past two decades.  When MCAP was awarded the race, Friends of Erik chairpersons Beth Breault and Mark McMahon handed all their files to Pugh. 

“They were incredibly organized,” Pugh says. “There is no way I could have done this race without those files.”

In past years, funds raised from the race were awarded to a family confronted with the severe illness of a child.  This year, the money raised will help adolescent survivors of physical or sexual abuse and gross neglect.

MCAP aids hundreds of children throughout Montgomery County by providing free legal representation to young survivors of abuse and neglect. Volunteer lawyers dedicate time and resources to represent these children and tp be their voice during the sometimes grueling and overwhelming court proceedings.

“At MCAP, we give the children a voice, but our real goal is to help them heal,” Pugh says.  

The organization has represented children in a variety of circumstances including family members committing sexual abuse, parents not providing adequate food or medical care to their children and siblings abusing siblings.  In all cases, the children need someone to advocate for them. That is just what MCAP pro bono attorneys do.  They also play a critical role in connecting these children to appropriate social service and counseling agencies.

Started by former assistant district attorneys, MCAP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which, since 2005, has represented 905 children in 715 cases through the efforts of 120 pro bono attorneys.

Volunteers, who have been supporting MCAP for the past five years, also expressed interest in assisting with the Run for the Hill of It. On Wednesday, volunteers ranging from 10 to 90 years old worked all morning at MCAP’s Norristown office to put together race packets.  The Chestnut Hill/Mt. Airy Girl Scout Troop #1190, along with Boy Scout Troop #320, Cub Scout Pack #173 and volunteers from Philadelphia and Montgomery counties came together for this huge effort.

When the walkers and runners come to Northwestern Avenue and Forbidden Drive in Fairmount Park on Saturday they will be greeted by hundreds of eager volunteers. “There are volunteers of all ages helping with the race,” Pugh says. “We even have an

11-year–old boy who requested to be on trash duty all day race day.”

The MCAP Run for the Hill of It is a United States of America Track and Field sanctioned and certified five-mile, tree-lined course in Fairmount Park beside the Wissahickon Creek.  The one-mile walk provides a scenic view of a beautiful landscape at the park.  Prizes are awarded to the overall male, female and masters racers and to the top three winners in all other age groups.  Precision electronic timing services will be provided by Lin-Mark Computerized Sports. 

Runner race packets can be picked up at the Chestnut Hill Borders store from 2pm – 8pm on Thursday and Friday or on Saturday morning before the race.

Volunteers are still needed on race day to help with parking, distribute race packets and hand out water and snacks. For information on volunteering, contact Mary Pugh at 610-279-1219, marypugh@mcapkids.org, or come to the park at 6 a.m. on Saturday.