CSRF table

On a beautiful spring evening in Boise, Idaho, over 600 participants gathered at Julia Davis Park to participate in the second annual Boise Glow For Cushing’s Awareness 5K fun run and walk, or BO-GLO for short. Soundwave Music kicked off the event at 6 pm with a dance party at the park. Disc jockey, JT Cole, got the crowd moving and shaking while food trucks served up delicious food to fuel the racers. New for this year was a Sawtooth Photo Pros booth, where participants had a great time posing for special effects pictures in their glo-tastic costumes. The positive energy in the park was palpable and everywhere you looked there were smiling people having a great time. P.Ditty’s Wrap Wagon food truck generously donated gift certificates to draw people to the CSRF booth where they could enter to win after learning about Cushing’s from CSRF member, Kristi Hansen. As dusk set in, BO-GLO Director, Jordan Morales, took the stage and spoke to the crowd about Cushing’s and why he feels passionate about raising awareness of this disease. He shared the story of Cushing’s survivor, Bear Silber, and of a local woman now on the road to recovery because her friend learned about Cushing’s at BO-GLO 2013. At the conclusion of Jordan’s remarks, the participants lined up and the race began. It was an amazing sight to watch the Boise Greenbelt literally glow for Cushing’s awareness as hundreds of runners and walkers adorned with glow sticks made their way down the course. Once participants returned to the park, the party started up again with awards to the race winners and a costume contest, followed by more music and dancing.

The purpose of the BO-GLO event is to educate the general public about Cushing’s and this was accomplished in various ways throughout the week, culminating in the 5K race. Kristi Hansen, and BO-GLO organizer Dustin Hughes, met with the staff at the St. Alphonsus Medical Center Foundation and talked to them about Cushing’s and the need for education and awareness of the disease. They shared the story of Kym Grupido, whose Cushing’s diagnosis came too late to save her life, and donated 65 “comfort angels” in Kym’s memory to be distributed to hospitalized patients. BO-GLO organizers and volunteers spent two afternoons on the quad of the Boise State University campus talking to students about Cushing’s.

The Glow for Cushing’s organizers, Jordan Morales, Dustin Hughes, and Chad Powell wish to thank the many volunteers and acknowledge the sponsors who made this year’s event possible: Corcept Therapeutics, Soundwave Music, Shu’s Idaho Running Company, FitMania, Powell’s Sweet Shoppe, Bronco News Nation, Boise Premier Realty, Life Chiropractic Center, and the Boise State University National Society for Collegiate Scholars. Photos of the event are available on the BO-GLO Facebook page and on the Sawtooth Photo Pros website. The Glow for Cushing’s Awareness team will take a few weeks to enjoy the afterglow of another successful event before getting to work on their plans to glow even brighter in 2015. They will be looking for opportunities throughout the year to spread Cushing’s awareness, will be implementing new marketing strategies in an effort to double the attendance at the next Boise Glow 5K, and hope to add 1-2 additional Glow for Cushing’s events in neighboring states. If you would like to participate in next year’s BO-GLO 5K, mark your calendar for April 3, 2015 and we’ll see you in Boise!