LEBANON, N.H. — With the colorful backdrop of a New England fall, thousands of real-life superheroes will gather on the Dartmouth College Green Sunday, October. 14 for the annual CHaD HERO. The premier athletic fundraiser for Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD), the HERO features a variety of family-friendly races and activities that support kids and programs at New Hampshire’s only children’s hospital.
Highlighted by the HERO half-marathon, the HERO features an event for everyone in the family – half-marathon, 5K run and walk, one-mile family fun run, 25 or 50-mile bike ride, and five or seven-mile hikes. All events will take participants, decked out in their superhero attire, through the beautiful Upper Connecticut River Valley and end on the Dartmouth Green in downtown Hanover, N.H.
While the heroes are on the course, friends, family, and spectators can take in the HERO festival on the Green. The festival features a variety of local food vendors offering a wide variety of delicious bites. Kids can enjoy the KidZone with rock climbing wall, face painting, and bounce house. There will also be live entertainment and plenty of opportunities to cheer on HERO participants.
Each year’s event also features a CHaD kid selected to be the ambassador of the HERO and all that it benefits. This year’s Kid HERO is Avery Smith, a five-year-old who has been fighting leukemia since her diagnosis in April 2017. Her father, Chris, started Team brAVERY for the 2017 HERO to support Avery’s battle with cancer and to empower every child and family receiving care at CHaD. In 2017, Team brAVERY raised over $16,000, well beyond their goal of $5,000. They have set a goal of $20,000 for this year’s event.
Heroes and spectators alike can check out the full event schedule by visiting www.CHaDHERO.org. Participants are currently raising money while training for their specific event. Supporters can assist them with a donation made directly to their HERO fundraising page on the website.There are still open slots for additional caped crusaders to support CHaD. The event website has registration and fundraising information as well as training plans to get heroes ready for race day.
The CHaD HERO raised over $870,000 last year through participant fundraising, donations, and generous corporate sponsors. This year’s major sponsorship partners include The Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation and the Hypertherm HOPE Foundation. Other supporting partners include Global Rescue, Bank of America, the Kitchel-McLaughlin Family Foundation, Norwich Partners, Children’s Fund of the Upper Valley, and White Mountain Insurance.
For more information about the CHaD HERO, visit www.CHaDHERO.org