July 14, 2020
CONTACT: Ginger Katz
PHONE: (203) 831-9700
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Courage to Speak Foundation Announces 22nd Annual Ian James Eaccarino Memorial 9-Mile Virtual Race Sunday, August 9th, 2020 at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk, CT
Ginger Katz, CEO and Founder of the Courage to Speak® Foundation and author of Sunny’s Story, announced The 22nd Annual Ian James Eaccarino Memorial 9-Mile Race, which will take place on Sunday, August 9th at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk, Connecticut and is promoted by the Lightfoot Running Club.
Ginger and her husband, Larry, have been members of the Lightfoot Running Club for over 36 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 prescription drug 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.
The 22nd Annual Ian James Eaccarino Memorial 9-Mile Virtual Race will be on Sunday, August 9th, 2020 at Calf Pasture Beach. Register through the Lightfoot Running Club website to be a runner for this virtual race, http://www.lightfootrunners.com/. Due to COVID-19 and social distancing policies, if you register for this race, you may run at Calf Pastor whenever you would like to on that day to qualify, as group running is not advised. In previous years, we have had 161 runners participated in this extraordinary community race. This demonstrates the commitment to a healthy drug-free lifestyle – the essence of our message to young people.
Our sponsors for the race include The Lightfoot Running Club, Norwalk Park & Recreational Department, Fairfield County Bank, Malcolm Beyer, West Rocks Shell, Bruce’s Flowers and Paul Lenoci.
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. Over the past 24 years, Ginger and Larry together 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.
For information about sponsoring the race, running in the race and volunteering, please call Ginger Katz at 203-831-9700 or e-mail gkatz@couragetospeak.org or visit www.couragetospeak.org.
About The Courage to Speak® Foundation:
The Courage To Speak Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in Norwalk, CT, whose mission is “to save lives by empowering youth to be drug free through fostering education and open communication about the dangers of drug and alcohol use.” Ginger Katz founded the organization in 1996, just months after her 20 year old son Ian James Eaccarino died of an accidental drug overdose. She and her husband Larry Katz pledged that they would do all they could to help prevent such a tragedy from befalling another family. Since then, Ms. Katz has given nearly 1000 presentations reaching hundreds of thousands of individuals – young people and the adults who care about them. The Courage to Speak Foundation developed drug prevention programs for elementary, middle and high school students as well as parents through Courage to Speak – Courageous Parenting 101®. Ms. Katz also has authored a new book called Sunny’s Story. A book for children of all ages; parents, grandparents, teachers, and others. www.couragetospeak.org
About the Lightfoot Running Club:
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
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