When pancreatic cancer struck close to home for 16-year-old Emily Nesbitt, the Mooresville teen decided to make the fight against cancer the focus of her Girl Scout Gold Award project.
On Dec. 12 at Mooresville High Stadium, Nesbitt will host the Mooresville Pancreatic Cancer 5K. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the race kicks off at 9 a.m. with an award ceremony and snacks to follow. For kids 12 and under, there will also be a Fun Run, which starts at 10 a.m.
Registration for the 5K is $20 in advance – prior to Dec. 5 and includes a tee-shirt – or $25 on the day of the event. The Fun Run fee is $5 and includes a certificate of participation.
Emily said that some proceeds will benefit Girl Scouts, which she has participated in since first grade, but the majority of funds will go toward the fight against pancreatic cancer.
Last October, the father of a teammate on Emily's club soccer team was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
"He was a really big runner before, so when I started thinking about topics for my project, I wanted to do something that could help someone that I knew," said Emily, talking about the man who served as the inspiration for her Girl Scout Gold Award project.
Although she and her fellow Troop 51 senior Girl Scouts completed their bronze and silver awards as a group, Emily said the teens decided to each conduct their own project as they attained the highest level – the equivalent to a Boy Scout Eagle Award – of their careers as scouts.
Through fliers and word-of-mouth, Emily said she's been informing people about the Pancreatic Cancer 5K for a few weeks now. She also created a Web site – www.MooresvillePC5K.com – to encourage runners and allow for early registration.
"I talked to someone who had done a 5K before and organized it. I thought (the Web site) would be the best way to get information out," she said Wednesday, nothing that she's participated in local races before, including meets with the Mooresville High cross country team, but she's never organized an event of this magnitude.
"I ran in them, but I never thought about how much you have to do for it."
With a few local businesses already signed up as sponsors, Emily said she's hoping for approximately 150 runners at her December event. And if there's a good turnout this year, she'd like to make the 5K an annual fundraiser for pancreatic cancer.
"Most people don't know about pancreatic cancer, and there's not a lot of research on it at all," she said, mentioning the awareness that could emerge from her event.
Calling the girls on her soccer team and their parents "family," Emily explained on her Web site that she knew very little about pancreatic cancer before her friend's father was diagnosed.
"(I) learned quickly about how a healthy dad who loves to run and watch his girls play soccer, can suddenly become so ill," said Emily, saying that his cancer has brought the entire soccer team together as they "realize how special every day is."
For more information, to donate or to register for the Mooresville Pancreatic Cancer 5K, visit www.MooresvillePC5K.com
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