The Timothy O’Connell Foundation has announced that the tenth and final Tim’s Trot—an annual 1.9-mile run/walk to raise funds for the ongoing search for cures for pediatric cancers– will take place on Saturday, September 17, at 3 pm at Holliston High School. 

Pre-registration at www.timsteam.org is open.  Once at the Foundation’s website, runners/walkers should click on the EVENTS tab and then click on Tim’s Trot.  Check-in before the Trot will begin on Saturday, September 17 at 1:30 pm near the entrance to Kamitian Field. 

Tim’s Trot regularly attracts nearly 1,000 runners, walkers, and strollers for the event, which runs along Hollis, Washington and Prospect Streets before turning back to the High School along Marked Tree Lane.  Tim’s Trot is a great community event, and organizer Joanne O’Connell, a Trustee of the Foundation, is pleased that conditions this year will allow the event to take place.

“With COVID, we basically had to shut down the Trot and all other fundraising events for two-plus years.  We’re so happy that we can bring the Trot back this year, and we’ve decided that this will be the last Trot we have.  It’s been a great run—no pun intended—and we’d love to have our biggest turnout yet for this year’s finale,” says Joanne.

Trotters who register by September 10 for Tim’s Trot will receive Tim’s Trot bags, Tim’s Trot t-shirts, magnets, angels, reminder bands – and will be entered to win one of seven Timmy Cakes that will be given randomly at the Trot. 

All funds raised through registrations and sponsorships will support donations made by The Timothy O’Connell Foundation to various organizations devoted to the needs of pediatric cancer patients and families during cancer treatment.  The Foundation also supports families after the loss of a child to cancer through its support of bereavement programs.  In addition, The Foundation supports research and development of treatments and cures for leukemia and other cancers.

To date, the Foundation has raised over $1,000,000, awarded over $900,000 in donations to charitable organizations with missions aligned to that of the Foundation, and granted $130,000 in scholarships to residents of Holliston for post-secondary education in health-related fields.

Since 2014, the Foundation has funded a research laboratory at the University of Minnesota.  Joanne explains: “Tim had acute myeloid leukemia, which is relatively rare, and treatment was made difficult by the fact that the cancer mutated due to a protein called FLT-3.  That extremely rare mutation became both a professional and personal interest of one of Tim’s doctors, Peter Gordon.  . . .  We are honored by Dr. Gordon’s dedication to Tim’s memory and so grateful to the community of Holliston, which, by supporting the Foundation’s fundraising efforts, allow the Foundation to help fund Dr. Gordon’s lab’s research.”  Over the last eight years, the Foundation has donated almost $200,000 to this particular research. 

Please contact Joanne O’Connell at joanneoconnell@comcast.net for further information regarding this year’s tenth and final Tim’s Trot.  Please contact her asap if you or your company would like to sponsor Tim’s Trot this year.  T-shirt production with company logos will be finalized soon.