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Community Corner

Miles-4-Smiles Inaugural Race Raises Money for Children with Cancer

The first 5K run/walk sponsored by the Amanda Riley Foundation attracted 260 runners and scores of volunteers to Tribble Mill Park this past weekend.

About 260 runners and sponsors raised $12,000 for children battling cancer at the the inaugural Miles-4-Smiles 5K Run/Walk, which was sponsored by the over the weekend at in Lawrenceville. 

Barbara Riley, of Snellville, whose daughter Amanda died of cancer a little more than a year ago, said the race was a success. Funds were raised through sponsorship, concessions, jewelry sales and the race participants, Riley said.

“It was awesome,” said Riley after the race. “It was a beautiful day for it. Once again, the community came out and supported Amanda’s memory and the foundation. It was everything I’d imagined and more.”

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Riley appreciated all the volunteer support and especially thanked l’s lead cross country and track coaches, Chris Carter and Kelly Sowers, who were instrumental in race preparations.

Carter and Sowers coached Amanda, who was an avid runner and basketball player at Brookwood High before being diagnosed March 2009 with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer of muscle tissue. Amanda died after 405 days of battling the disease.

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“Amanda loved to run. We wanted to do something that represented her,” Riley said.

Michael Sexton, a former Brookwood High School runner who attends Berry College in Rome, was the overall men’s winner with a time of 16.43; Holly Ortlund was the overall women’s winner with a time of 18.17.

When asked why he participated in the race, Ron Byrnes of Lawrenceville whose daughter ran track and cross country with Amanda said he ran “to support Amanda and the foundation, to be with friends and to enjoy the day.”

One of the most touching moments of the day’s events was the balloon release. Participants released red, blue and yellow balloons. Riley explained that the red balloons represent “our love for the children who are still fighting cancer.” The blue balloons, the color of the sky, stand for “the children who are in heaven.” The yellow balloons are for Amanda.

Yellow was the 17-year-old's favorite color “and she was always our sunshine,” her mother said.

The foundation is gearing up for their next community event: the Atlanta Dreams’ “Take the Show on the Road” visit to Brookwood High School on Monday, July 11. For more information, visit the Amanda Riley Foundation website.

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