Greetings, fellow Oak Lawnians.
St. Gerald parish hosted its inaugural Giant Pumpkin 5K Run/Walk on Halloween. The event, which kicked off from the church at 9310 S. 55th Court in Oak Lawn, was in memory of Colette McGinnis.
McGinnis had a long history at the parish, and her son and daughter also attended the school.
Debbie Janicke, the development director for St. Gerald School, was a co-worker and friend of McGinnis for more than 25 years.
“Colette was a kindergarten teacher at St. Gerald for a very long time, and the last five years, she was the director of religious education,” Janicke said.
McGinnis died in September at age 61 after being hospitalized with an illness.
Planning for the 5K got underway in the summer. The parish was looking at options to raise funds for the school, which is the oldest Catholic school in Oak Lawn.
“Originally, the Pumpkin Walk was being organized as a fundraiser for the school parish. St. Gerald is the ‘Mother church’ of Oak Lawn, and we need to make repairs and take care of our facility,” Janicke said.
After McGinnis’s death, the Giant Pumpkin committee and pretty much everyone else in the parish decided it would be a fitting tribute to host the event in McGinnis’s honor.
There were 190 adult runners/walkers and 90 “little pumpkins” (children age 10 and under) registered prior to the event, for which there were about 20 people on the planning committee and 60 helping on event day, Janicke said.
The St. Gerald Holy Name Society hosted a full breakfast of eggs, sausage and pancakes for the runners/walkers, and the Mother’s Club had a full day of activities planned for the families and children in the parish’s community center.
“Colette would have been so happy to have a day filled with family activities. She just has to be beaming,” Janicke said.
Janicke said the event received “overwhelming support from the parish and the community,” including the police and fire departments.
For race results, visit www.racetime.info.
‘Celebrity’ announcements
Here are this week’s “celebrity” announcements: Happy 22nd birthday to Sterling Weston, from his family and Cocoa. Happy 29th birthday to Shannon Matthews, from Chris, Cayden and her family. Happy birthday to Natasha Gornik, from her parents and family. Birthday wishes go out to Wyo Petzel, from Erica, Charlotte and their family. Barb McCarville sends special birthday wishes to her husband, Bob.
Wedding anniversary wishes go out to the following couples: Kevin and Nicole Burbano on their seventh anniversary; Roy and Nancy Bubel on their 43rd anniversary, from their children, Kelly, Brian and Holly, Roy’s mother, Bernice, and family; Dick and Marilyn Slaninka on their 54th anniversary; and Henry and Rosina Skaggs on their 66th anniversary.
Keep your fellow Oak Lawnians informed about birthdays, special events or special “stuff” going on with your family or within the community. Contact me at (708) 899-9544 or email me at cjpetzel@sbcglobal.net.
Until next time …
Cheryl Petzel is a freelance writer who covers the Oak Lawn community.
