6th Annual Manor Township 5K Keeps Growing

 

by Jonathan Weaver

Tomorrow’s annual Janine Kijowski Race for a Cure is expected to have a larger turnout in Manor Township – according to Race Director Marie Kijowski.

“We’re expecting about 100 people to do the race – every year we’ve been increasing,” Marie said.

And those racers come from outside the local community.

“I had racers from New Jersey last year. I had racers from York, PA, all over Pittsburgh,” Marie said. “This is our sixth year, and people have really come to realize what we’re all about.”

Janine – a former ACMH emergency and outpatient registration clerk – lost her battle with B-cell lymphoma December 2, 2010. But at her request before she passed, the Kijowski/Boltz Family keeps fighting to help others stricken with cancer.

“Janine had the largest heart in the whole wide world. Her smile was so contagious,” Marie said. “Her funeral never closed. My motto is ‘she had the largest heart on the Earth, so she has to have the hugest wings in Heaven.’”
“She wasn’t my sister-in-law; she was my sister.”

For the past six years, Marie (Janine’s sister-in-law) has led the event.

About a dozen Lenape Practical Nursing students – part of “the most-active volunteer staff (Marie) has ever had” - are volunteering either for set-up, clean-up or have made baskets.

“They actually need 14 hours of community service to graduate,” Marie said. “My niece, Hannah Kijowski, is actually a student there and she asked her directors if she can volunteer for this particular race for community service. It’s really nice because, believe me, I need the help.

“Everything we have here is donated.”

Hannah is on track to graduate in December.

Janine’s husband, Nick, runs the race annually in memory of his wife, but does not take a place. For the past five years, Nick – now a West Kittanning resident - also raced in memory of Janine at the Pittsburgh Marathon with West Penn Hospital’s “Team Purple.”

“They’re still a part of our family,” Marie said. “Absolutely – we still celebrate the holidays together.”

Janine, Nick and Marie – who has been a VA nurse for 35 years - as well as their siblings all graduated from Worthington-West Franklin High School.

Money raised during the event will benefit two local women – both of whom are battling breast cancer.

“Our money has never left our community - never,” Marie said.

“Since her passing, we have continued to pay it forward,” Marie said. “Usually, somebody from the community will give us a name of somebody in financial need and then we always pick a second person from the Laube Cancer Center.

“Our money goes directly to the patients. (In 2013), we donated over $10,000, just from the race.”

The annual picnic at the Pattonville VFW begins at noon. A half-dozen bands are expected to entertain crowds at the event.

Tickets to participate in the race, picnic and receive a t-shirt are $25, but tickets for the picnic only are $15.