The 6th Annual Mesothelioma Race for Justice 5K is in the books and was a huge success! Like past years, the 2023 race was a hybrid in-person and virtual race, culminating on September 26, 2023, in recognition of National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. Virtual racers had the entire month of September to complete their 5K, while in-person participants gathered at the beautiful Shelter A of the Lake County Forest Preserve in Vernon Hills, Illinois. We had roughly 80 racers from around the country. Proceeds from the race were donated to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. This year, $17,125.56 was raised for a total of over $82,000 raised for Mesothelioma Research since 2018!
“It was wonderful to see so many come out and support the race this year,” says Mirela Kopier, MRFJ race director. “It has truly been my privilege and honor to direct this race every year. The support of the community that comes out or those that donate is immeasurable.”
This is our sixth year working with the Meso Foundation, the nation’s only nonprofit charitable organization focused on mesothelioma. It collaborates with patients and families, physicians, advocates, and researchers dedicated to ending mesothelioma and the suffering caused by this cancer. Vogelzang Law is proud to partner with MARF – we both believe the resources exist to find a cure, especially given the human toll, the legal, moral, and economic impact and implications of asbestos, and the overwhelming compassion and support of the meso community. The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation’s mission is to offer hope and support to patients and families through education, assistance, and emotional support while funding national research projects, raising awareness, and advocating for the public and private sectors to join the fight against this global tragedy.
“The proceeds will help us in our mission to eradicate mesothelioma,” said Melissa Gerard, community events coordinator for the Meso Foundation. “With your help, we will continue to fund the most promising peer-reviewed research, as well as continue our patient education programs and federal advocacy work.”
Participants this year included colleagues, union members, health professionals, and other Vogelzang Law family and friends. We are thankful to those who joined us and enjoyed the lovely fall weather while supporting an important cause.
“We are really appreciative of all our sponsors that came out, and of course, all our runners and all our virtual runners,” said Nick Vogelzang, firm founder and lead counsel. “We love doing it every year, and it’s a great way to support mesothelioma families and those that have the cancer. We always say this is an orphan cancer – it’s one that doesn’t get a lot of funding for research, and so anything that we can do to help contribute to help those people that are affected by this disease…this is a really great way to help them and to remember them.”
No event can be successful without the support of our sponsors and partners. Our sponsors, vendors, and volunteers’ generosity and support make the day possible. We also thank our VL team for volunteering before, during, and after the event.
Again, thank you to all our participants, sponsors, and the Vogelzang Law team. This year was one to remember!
