The Paces for Faces Walk Along was a huge success!  We were unable to gather on the green in Wakefield this year, but the weekend was still full of community engagement, fun, and family. Participants across the nation – from New Hampshire, to Florida, to California – completed the walk during the weekend of September 26-27.

This year’s virtual walk was one of FFC’s most successful fundraising events which speaks to the
commitment and dedication of our community.  In all, 32 teams consisting of 174 registered participants brought in 474 individual donations totaling $43,122. Plus, additional donations are being accepted until October 31.

This is the ninth year that FFC has recognized Smile Striders, those individuals who raised $750 or more. This year, a record number earned this elite status!  Our deep gratitude goes to our 17 Smile Striders:
Owen Gingrow                     Meera Oliva
Tara Greiner                          Ellen Caille
Paul Silverman                     Connor Silverman
Lucille Ward                          Julia McGillivray
Dhruv Trivedi                        Cameron Bergeron
Kathy Gambino                    Eric Zhang
Ursula H Costigan               Deb Breen
Kara Gray                              Monica Trivedi
PK Nelson

Olivia Oppel, Walk Chair, was interviewed about FFC’s virtual walk by Jordan Rich from WBZ-AM
1030 radio and the piece was aired on WBZ New England Weekend program! The FFC is grateful for this special PSA and support from our local network.

Fifteen year old Eric Zhang, gifted pianist and member of the Walk’s Team Zhang Gang, performed three pieces to fundraise for FFC. He wanted to use his talent to support FFC and bring joy to our community. Eric’s videos are on our YouTube channel.

An extra special shout out to the 2020 Walk Committee who were responsible for the behind the
scenes planning! From managing the OneCause Platform and tracking registration, soliciting corporate sponsorships, creating social media content and increasing our follower base, this team was dedicated to making the virtual walk exciting and engaging, in keeping with the spirit of the Paces for Faces Walk and Family picnic we all know and love. The committee included Olivia Oppel (Walk Chair), Meera Oliva, Clarissa Kwan, Monica Trivedi, Monir Sakha, Kara Jackman, Tara Greiner, Liz O’Keefe, Ann Marie Rogers, Helen Ng and Ursula Costigan.

We are especially grateful to our corporate sponsors:
Platinum Sponsor:                     Gold Sponsor:

             

If you are interested in serving on next year’s walk committee or volunteering to help the day
of the walk, let us know. You can email us at walk@facesofchildren.org or call 617-355-8299.

Here are photos from the virtual walk that teams either submitted to FFC or posted on social media.  Thank you all for participating and we hope that you can join us again next year.