A look inside East Norwalk in August
The Courage to Speak Foundation will hold its 18th Annual “Ian James Eaccarino Memorial 9-Mile Race” at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13, at Calf Pasture Beach.
The race, promoted by Lightfoot Running Club, will be kicked off by Mayor Harry Rilling. In his continued support of the mission of the Courage to Speak Foundation, Rilling will address the runners at the start of the race.
The Courage to Speak Foundation is a private non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1996 whose mission is to save lives by empowering youth to be drug free and parents to communicate effectively with their children about the dangers of drugs. The Courage to Speak Foundation was founded by Ginger Katz, 20 years ago. Ginger, author of “Sunny’s Story,” and her husband, Larry, have been members of the Lightfoot Running Club for more than 30 years and are co-founders of The Courage to Speak Foundation. The race is dedicated to Ian Eaccarino, the son of Ginger and Larry, who passed away after an accidental heroin and valium overdose. The 9-mile race is dedicated to Ian’s memory, as he worked at the beach the summer before he died and personally planted many of the trees that are now aligned with this beautiful beach.
Ginger and Larry have presented Ian’s story to hundreds of thousands of people across the country and have been recognized on a state and national level for their work. The Courage to Speak Foundation has developed drug prevention education programs taught in Connecticut schools and beyond, and Courage to Speak — Courageous Parenting 101 — a free course offered in English and Spanish evaluated and recommend by Yale University that educates parents on how to keep their children safe from drugs. More than a thousand parents have attended the program and over 130 facilitators are trained to teach the course throughout Connecticut as well as many other states.
The sponsors for the race include The Lightfoot Running Club and Norwalk Recreation and Parks Department and Booth Financial Associates. Sponsorships for the race are available: Platinum Sponsor ($2,500), Gold Sponsor ($1,000), Silver Sponsor ($500), Bronze Sponsor ($250) and Friend of the Race ($100). For information about sponsoring the race, running in the race and volunteering, please call Ginger Katz at 877-431-3295 or e-mail gkatz@couragetospeak.org or visit www.couragetospeak.org.
The Lightfoot Running Club is a Connecticut organization for runners that hosts and participates in races in several counties in Connecticut. They are committed to raising the bar of competition to reveal the true generosity of the human spirit. www.lightfootrunners.com
