The Bunny Hop 4k participants gathered for a group photo with the Easter Bunny.
More than three dozen participants showed up to walk, run, or hop along the Bunny Hop 4k course organized by the Recreation and Welfare (R&W) Club Frederick to benefit the Children’s Inn at NIH.
The Children’s Inn allows patients and their families to stay in a comfortable, home-like environment while kids receive treatment at the NIH in Bethesda. The Bunny Hop 4k raised $391.85, which was matched by the Frederick National Laboratory’s “Power of Community” program for a total donation of $783.30.
The weather made for a blustery event; while the temperature was in the 60s, the wind clocked in at 20–30 mph. As a result, the registration, goody bag handouts, completion medal distributions, and pictures with the Easter Bunny were moved into Building 426.
To accommodate some restrictions, such as staying on NCI at Frederick property and avoiding construction, survey and route masters Stacy Taylor and Sergio Rodriguez created an intricate course for participants, which they mapped using the “MapMyRun” app.
They walked the course numerous times and even rerouted it after additional road closures were announced by the Environment, Health, and Safety directorate. In the future, the Bunny Hop team is planning to contact the Army Garrison to get permission, if necessary, to use the military and housing side of Fort Detrick.
“Even though the weather and route were not ideal, it was nice seeing the number of people who came out and supported [sic] the Children’s Inn at NIH by participating in this event,” said Stacy Taylor, administrative assistant, Enterprise Information Technology Directorate.
The event organizers are hoping to host a Halloween-themed 5K run along the Monocacy River in October that would include costumes, prizes, and completion medals. The run would benefit Camp Fantastic, a weeklong camp for children who have or are recovering from cancer that provides them an opportunity to enjoy traditional camp activities such as swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, marshmallow roasting, and campfire singing.
The R&W Club Frederick would like to thank all the participants, the organizing committee, the Frederick National Laboratory, Occupational Health Services, and Nymeo Federal Credit Union for their support and contributions.
