Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

March4Meg 5K Run/Walk Finds Support Throughout Beverly

By Howard Ludwig | March 24, 2015 6:08am | Updated on March 24, 2015 3:43pm
 The third annual March4Meg begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at Klein Park in Evergreen Park. The 5k run/walk raises money for melanoma awareness as well as skin cancer treatment efforts at Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn.
The third annual March4Meg begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at Klein Park in Evergreen Park. The 5k run/walk raises money for melanoma awareness as well as skin cancer treatment efforts at Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Supplied Photo

BEVERLY — Yard signs are commonplace in Beverly, advertising political candidates, school open houses and pancake breakfasts.

The latest yard signs to surface throughout the Far Southwest Side promote March4Meg, a 5K run and walk that begins at 9 a.m. Saturday in suburban Evergreen Park.

The third annual race takes place at Klein Park at 3450 W. 97th St. and raises money in memory of Meg (Donovan) Moonan.

Moonan, 43, died on March 30, 2012. Her death came just 19 months after she was diagnosed with melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer.

"She was a mother to four young kids," said Meredith McGuffage, of Beverly.

McGuffage has organized the 5K run and walk since its inception. Her husband and Moonan were cousins, though McGuffage truly became close with Moonan while their children were both enrolled at the Beverly Montessori School.

 About 90 students from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences in Mount Greenwood raised $450 for March4Meg last week. The students are all Special Olympic athletes and coupled the fundraising effort with a lesson in sun safety.
About 90 students from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences in Mount Greenwood raised $450 for March4Meg last week. The students are all Special Olympic athletes and coupled the fundraising effort with a lesson in sun safety.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Supplied Photo

"She was just very sweet, outgoing. She was a great listener," said McGuffage, adding that Moonan's youngest child was only 1 year old when she was diagnosed with melanoma.

In its first two years, the event has raised $90,000 to establish an endowment at Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn. Moonan lived near the southwest suburban hospital. Her family still lives across the street from Klein Park, also known as Circle Park.

She was able to receive some of her treatments at Christ Hospital, but often had to travel to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in north suburban Park Ridge for care, McGuffage said.

Shortly after Moonan died, family and friends participated in This Run's For Jack, a 5K run in west suburban Glen Ellyn. The event benefited Lutheran General's melanoma treatment efforts.

McGuffage, an avid runner, decided to coordinate a similar event to benefit Christ Hospital. She teamed with Moonan's mother, Nancy Donovan, who also sought to use the money from the 5K to raise awareness of skin cancer throughout the area.

Donovan believes melanoma is a particular concern on the South Side as many residents are of Irish descent and fair skin is often susceptible to dangerous sunburns.

Her efforts have culminated in free skin cancer screenings in Evergreen Park. March4Meg representatives have also worked with libraries and parks throughout Beverly, Mount Greenwood and Morgan Park to distribute sunscreen and preach sun safety to children during the summer months.

South Siders have truly taken to the effort. Last year, 1,247 people participated in the race, many raising money on behalf of a loved one stricken with melanoma.

Liam Hopkins, of Morgan Park, was among the 2014 participants. He attended March4Meg two days after his father died from melanoma. Tom Hopkins, 59, was a loving husband, the father of four children and a stalwart in his community.

"It's sad. But when death happens, there's no place I'd rather" be than in the Beverly, Morgan Park and Mount Greenwood neighborhoods, Hopkins said.

Team Hops expects about 80 people to participate in the walk on behalf of Tom Hopkins and Karen Hopkins of Evergreen Park.

Karen Hopkins, 57, died in January of colon cancer. She was Tom's sister-in-law.

"We are just trying to continue what they started in terms of giving back," Liam Hopkins said.

Last week, Special Olympic athletes from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences raised $450 in support of March4Meg.

Moonan's sister, Mary Pat McGeehan, is a teacher at the Mount Greenwood school and paired the fundraiser with a lesson in sun safety. Then, students spent an hour walking the campus grounds as well as the neighboring Mount Greenwood Park.

Moonan attended St. Thomas More School in Ashburn and the former Maria High School in Marquette Park. She was also an active member at Most Holy Redeemer Parish in Evergreen Park, where she volunteered to teach religious education or CCD.

"She was a very kind, giving person. Someone who was so devoted to her family," Donovan said.

It costs $35 for individuals to participate in the March4Meg 5K. For more information, visit the event's website or email info@march4meg.com.

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: