Posted on February 19, 2013 by Matheny
Braving the elements at Miles for Matheny 2012.
The late Lu Huggins was concerned that Matheny students and patients “had no idea what life was like in the real world. And no one in the community ever saw them.” So in 1998, she helped create the first Miles for Matheny, which included a wheelchair walk and one cycling ride.
On Sunday, April 21, the 16th annual Miles for Matheny will be held at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack, NJ, and the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk will, of course, be the centerpiece. Friends and family members will be able to enjoy walking alongside more than 100 Matheny children and adults, who “wheel” through the streets of downtown Peapack to the cheers of community members and other supporters.
All funds raised at Miles for Matheny will benefit the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to Matheny inpatients and to people with disabilities in the community. Other activities, in addition to the Wheelchair Walk, are a USAF-sanctioned 5K Race, five different Cycling routes and a Kids Fun Run.
To find out how you can be part of this fun and uplifting event, log onto www.milesformatheny.org or call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260.
Posted on April 30, 2012 by Matheny
Chuck Matheny and friends in the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk.
Miles for Matheny, according to Steve Proctor, Matheny president, is a day that, “our patients, students and their families look forward to with great anticipation, and it was particularly meaningful this year because we returned to downtown Peapack. We could not have had such a successful event without the help and cooperation of the Borough of Peapack-Gladstone. The police and fire departments, public works department and mayor’s office all went the extra mile, so to speak, to make sure we had a safe and inspiring day. I’d also like to thank all the volunteers, Matheny staff members and other participants from the community for coming out on a less than perfect day to support us.”
Miles activities included the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk, a 5K run, five different cycling routes and a kids fun run, all followed by a rain-shortened picnic. WCBS-TV sports anchor Otis Livingston kicked off the Wheelchair Walk and WCBS Newsradio 880’s Wayne Cabot sent the 5K runners on their way.
All funds raised at Miles for Matheny help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to people with disabilities in the community. Donations are still being accepted at www.milesformatheny.org.
Major Miles sponsors include: The Poses Family Foundation; Affinity Federal Credit Union Foundation; Archer & Greiner, P.C.; BP Fueling Communities; WCBS-TV and WCBS Newsradio 880; Partlow Insurance Agency; Peapack-Gladstone Bank; and Porzio Bromberg & Newman, P.C.
Matheny student Bryan Desatnick with his father Lloyd, left, and mother Edana, right, sharing a laugh with CBS 2’s Otis Livingston and his son Marquis.
Posted on April 18, 2012 by Matheny
The Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk is back downtown for the first time since 2009.
If you’re planning to attend Miles for Matheny on Sunday, April 22, and you haven’t registered, on-site registration begins at 9 a.m. in Liberty Park in downtown Peapack.
Parking for all participants – except cyclists – is provided at the Pfizer facility off of Route 206 North (Pfizer Way) in Peapack. Everyone parking at Pfizer (drivers and passengers) will be asked to present a valid ID (driver’s license, passport or other government-issued ID). Shuttle buses between Pfizer and Liberty Park will run continuously throughout the day from 8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m. Parking is FREE.
Travel time is about five minutes. Cyclists only may park at the Peapack train station, the Gladstone train station or the Peapack-Gladstone Bank at 190 Main St. in Gladstone.
There are four major activities at Miles, followed by a Celebration Picnic in Liberty Park:
- Cycling Routes at 10 a.m. (50-miles; ‘Hills of Attrition’), at 10:45 a.m. (35 miles, 25 miles) and at 11:45 a.m. (10 miles).
- Kids Fun Run (ages 3-10) at 11:30 a.m. Friendly competition in which everyone is a winner.
- 5K Road Race at 12:15 p.m. USATF-NJ NBGP 500 point event through Peapack-Gladstone on town and rural roads.
- Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk at 1 p.m.
Non-runners and families can enjoy fun and fitness walking alongside more than 130 Matheny students and patients as they navigate 1.5 miles around town.
Cyclists will have a choice of five different routes.
Posted on March 16, 2012 by Matheny
Allyson Merer.
Donna and Barry Merer of Scotch Plains, NJ, have lots of friends who are “serious cyclists.” So they have a receptive audience when they promote Miles for Matheny, the annual fundraiser and community event being held April 22 at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack, NJ. The Merers have an even more compelling reason to support and fundraise for Miles. Their 20-year-old daughter Allyson is a residential student at Matheny.
“We’re thrilled with the care and love that Ally gets from everyone at Matheny,” says Donna Merer. “It fills such a need for families, providing the best care for children with disabilities. It’s a wonderful school and medical facility.”
Like most Miles participants, Merer is happy the event is moving back downtown and is looking forward to walking with her daughter in the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk. She thinks it’s great to see people come out of their houses and cheer the Matheny students and patients. To help raise funds for the event, the Merers have formed a webpage, “Ally’s Allies” on the Miles for Matheny website, and they’re confident their cyclist friends will support the event. “They feel this sort of jump starts the cycling season,” Merer adds.
In addition to five Cycling Routes and the Wheelchair Walk, Miles activities include a 5K Race and a Kids Fun Run. All funds raised will help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to inpatients and people with disabilities in the community. Major sponsors are: Poses Family Foundation; Affinity Federal Credit Union Foundation; Archer & Greiner P.C.; BP Fueling Communities; WCBS-TV/WCBS Newsradio 880; Partlow Insurance Agency; Peapack- Gladstone Bank; and Porzio Bromberg & Newman P.C.
For more information, log onto www.milesformatheny.org; to support Ally’s Allies, click on Search for Participant and type in the team name.
Posted on January 25, 2012 by Matheny
We are so pleased that Miles for Matheny will be returning to Liberty Park in downtown Peapack, NJ, on Sunday, April 22, 2012. This fun-packed day includes bicycling routes through rural Somerset Hills, a Kids Fun Run, a 5K race and our signature event, the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk.
The 5K and Wheelchair Walk will begin at 12:15 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, so that road closures will not disrupt services at the local houses of worship and will enable community members to join the festivities.
The full schedule of events and registration information will be available soon.
Above, participants in the 2009 Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk on Main Street in Peapack.
