the wright stuff: On your mark, get set, THIS RUN'S 4 VAUGHN!

As most of you probably know, on November 7, 2010, my father in law, Rev. Vaughn Wright lost his battle to ALS. Vaughn was just like a Dad to me and had such a great impact on me and my life. Lucky for me his first born son, Shawn, is a spitting image of his Dad, and I get to spend the rest of my life with him :).

Two years ago, some great friends to our family in Dexter and members of Vaughn's church decided to start this event named, 'This Run's 4 Vaughn'. They started this event because caring for Vaughn and his needs was very, very expensive. The past two years, the money raised has gone to Vaughn and Nancy to help with his medical expenses, and what a great help it was. Vaughn was able to be cared for at home throughout his entire illness. Our family, friends, and the entire Dexter community have been more than supportive and generous throughout Vaughn's illness and his loss.

As a family, we could not be happier that this event is going to live on in Vaughn's memory. Now, we can give to other ALS families that need the love and support that Vaughn and our entire family received. All of the money raised for 'This Run's 4 Vaughn' will be donated to local ALS families. The entire Wright family is very excited to have the opportunity to help give back to other ALS families that need our love and support!

This Run’s 4 Vaughn is going to be on Saturday, October 1st in Dexter, MO. It’s a 5K walk/run that starts and ends at The First Christian Church in Dexter. This was the church Vaughn ministered for nearly 20 years.

If anyone is interested in coming down for the run you are obviously more than welcome! The entry fee for the run is $20 and that includes lunch afterwards and a t-shirt. If you would just make a donation, checks can be made to 'This Run's 4 Vaughn' or if you would just like to buy a t-shirt they are $15. We are also going to be selling 'This Run's 4 Vaughn' lanyards. If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt, lanyard, or making a monetary donation you can email me at morganrmcdowell@gmail.com and I will communicate with you directly.

This year is obviously going to much different because Vaughn isn’t here. We know it will be difficult, but Shawn and I, along with the rest of our family, are so excited that this event is going to live on and that the money is going to help other ALS families that are going through what we did with Vaughn.

Below are some pictures from the past few years at the run.

2010 This Run's 4 Vaughn: