Thousands Come Out For Children’s Hospital’s Record-Breaking Third Annual Walk for Children’s

Saturday’s third annual Walk for Children’s was a record-breaking affair, with more than 5,000 Walkers and nearly 9,000 donors raising more than $864,000 in support of patients and families at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.

The family fun walk and patient champion parade was hosted by Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation and held at Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park on June 23.

“What makes Walk for Children’s so special is that it celebrates the courage of our patients and families, and the hope and healing that Children’s provides thanks to the support of a vast community, including grateful patients and families and their large network of friends and families, corporate sponsors, as well as our doctors, nurses, and other staff,” said Rachel Petrucelli, interim president, Children’s Foundation. “The most important thing is that we are here because we want to make a difference in the lives of children and their families at Children’s Hospital.”

The event kicked off with a patient champion parade led by Addison Mercurio, a bone marrow transplant recipient from Washington, PA. She was followed by nearly 250 patients dressed in purple shirts and displaying medals, and led the walk participants to the starting line.

“I am so excited to be the patient champion for Walk for Children’s,” said Addison, age 10. “It’s important to have the walk, so money can be raised for Children’s Hospital to help support activities at the hospital, such as art and music therapy which will help kids feel more comfortable during their stay.”

Entertainment during the morning included music and appearances from 96.1 KISS-FM’s Mikey and Big Bob. Other activities included free helmets, courtesy of Kohl’s Hard Heads Helmet Program; bounce houses; face painting; snacks from Dairy Queen, Turner Dairy, and more.

Walk chairs were Lance Ruttenberg, president, American Textile Company; Scott Lammie, chief financial officer, UPMC Health Plan; and Morgan O'Brien, chief executive officer, Peoples Gas. Ken Rice from KDKA-TV served as the emcee.

Presenting sponsors for Walk for Children’s include UPMC and UPMC Health Plan.

For more information, visit www.walkforchildrens.com.