Fund-raiser aids Globe Santa, pays tribute to giving athlete
Just before 11 Sunday morning dozens of children and adults will begin running through the streets of West Roxbury to raise money for three important causes -- the Globe Santa Fund, the YMCA Reach Out campaign, and the Walter Burgess Scholarship Fund.
Scores of people are expected to line the route to cheer on the runners in the annual community event.
For the past three years, the organizers of what is now called Walter's Run have used the proceeds from the 5K race to benefit the three charities.
Prior to that, the event was known as the Santa Scamper, and the money it raised went to the YMCA and Globe Santa. The name of the race was changed in 2004 to honor Walter Burgess, a member of the Parkway Running Club, who had a heart condition and died unexpectedly at age 40.
"When Walter was just a kid he really liked Globe Santa because he didn't want to see kids not have toys on Christmas. So he and his brother would bring a jar to Gillette, where his father worked. The guys would collect money, and his brother told us [that] when they were kids he would want to spend a little bit of it on gum or candy, but Walter would say, 'No, all the money has to go to Globe Santa,' " said Jim Sweeney, a member and former president of the Parkway Running Club.
The club, which hosts the event, contributed about $1,500 from last year's race to help Globe Santa on his mission to make sure no child needing help, mentioned in the hundreds of letters he receives, is forgotten at Christmas.
The proceeds also assist the Walter Burgess Scholarship Fund, which helps pay for several high school students in Eastern Massachusetts to attend a weeklong running camp in Newport, R.I., during the summer.
Burgess, a triathlete, died shortly after completing the Great Floridian Ironman Triathlon. A tribute on the application form for the run says Burgess "was an amazing athlete, forever working out either at the Y, on his bike, or running on the roads. More importantly, Walter was an incredible friend and inspiration. He was always there to run the slower members into the finish line, to organize the marathon-long runs or group ski trips, to cheer others on, or to give us a big smile after a training run or race no matter the length."
The program begins at 10:50 a.m., when the 1K race for children will start . The 5K race will begin 10 minutes later. The program also includes refreshments, raffles, and prizes.
Running gloves and mittens will be distributed to the first 150 entrants.
Registration, which costs $20 on race day or $15 for preregistration, will continue online until 11 p.m. Saturday. For further information, call the YMCA at 617-323-3200 , ext. 412, or visit www.parkwayrunning.org.
