This past weekend, thousands of Upper Valley family members donned capes, masks, and super suits to run in the annual CHaD HERO, the premier community fundraising event for Dartmouth Health Children's and the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD). The event raised more than $700,000 to support vital programs and services for kids and families in the Upper Valley region and beyond.

This year, in response to community feedback and in an effort to make the event more accessible, CHaD removed registration fees for runners, resulting in a 50% increase in participation and a 17% increase in fundraising.  “The CHaD HERO is so much more than a fundraising event to us, it is a true community program,” says Director of CHaD Community Fundraising Events Olive Isaacs. “The changes to this year’s event model were made with that in mind – to ensure that every family in our community could participate in a meaningful way. We are thrilled to have seen such a positive result.”

Nearly 600 of the 3,100 superheroes participated with team Finding Our Stride (FOS), a local non-profit that empowers Upper Valley youth through after school running programs. Its mission is to “boost fitness, self-esteem and resilience, and connect kids to peers, mentors and community.” FOS serves more than 1,000 Upper Valley youth each year at 28 sites across the region from Woodsville, NH to Springfield, VT.  For the seventh year in a row, FOS runners and families raised funds through coin drives, bake sales, and support from friends and neighbors. The average donation size was small, but the collective effort and matching funds from Finding Our Stride and the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation raised $74,705 for CHaD. FOS has raised over $180,000 for CHaD since they first started supporting the event in 2016.

Community engagement is a core pillar of FOS’s work according to Founder and Executive Director Jenny Williams. “Research has proven that establishing strong ties to the local community helps children build a sense of security and resilience. We are so thrilled with the partnership we’ve developed with the folks at the CHaD HERO over the last seven years. We truly believe that participation in this event benefits our FOS families every bit as much as it helps the children and families being supported by CHaD.”