By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
What began as a small tribute from Palmer Elementary School teachers to a fallen student has morphed into a fundraising juggernaut drawing 2,500 participants each year. On June 4, walkers, runners and “caterpillar crawlers” will lace up their sneakers for the 20th annual Paige’s Butterfly Run.
Three years after Paige Yeomans Arnold passed away from leukemia complications at age 8 in 1994, a group of Paige’s teachers approached her parents with the idea of holding a walk/run to honor Paige and raise money for a scholarship fund and what is now the Dr. William J. Waters Center for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital.
“The butterfly was selected as a symbol of the event not only because she was so fond of them, but because they typified her: beautiful and gentle, but strong beyond imagining,” reads the website for Paige’s Butterfly Run.
The first walk/run in 1997 drew 225 people. In 2008, Paige’s Butterfly Run partnered with the Taste of Syracuse and from Palmer to the James M. Hanley Federal Building in downtown Syracuse. Last year’s event saw about 2,500 walkers and runners.
“We had no intention of leaving Palmer, but the Taste of Syracuse, which had essentially been putting on their event the same weekend as we had, was looking to bring down an established event or put on their own,” said Chris Arnold, PBR president and race director and Paige’s father. “It’s not easy because Palmer is where Paige was. There was an emotional [component] of having it at Palmer.”
Partnering with the Taste of Syracuse has expanded the reach of Paige’s Butterfly Run, leading to more money raised for research and patient programs at Golisano. It has added a bonus event for runners and walkers, too.
“When you’re done with the event, the Taste of Syracuse opens up. It’s a really nice complement,” Arnold said.
In 2015, the race netted $294,000. Arnold said corporate sponsorships covered the $54,000 in event and administrative expenses, and the remaining $240,000 went to the following causes:
• $100,000 to Paige’s Cancer Research Fund
• $102,500 to Paige’s Family & Survivor Assistance Funds, which helps families who are struggling financially with nonmedical bills or with expenses related to the aftereffects of treatment
• $18,500 to the Paige Yeomans Arnold Memorial Endowment Fund
• $19,000 to Paige’s Family Fun Fund, which helps Golisano’s child life specialists provide birthday and holiday parties, entertainment and other things to brighten the lives of kids in the hospital.
Arnold said he and his wife, Ellen Yeomans, never imagined how big Paige’s Butterfly Run would become. To date, PBR has raised more than $2 million for pediatric cancer research and improving the lives of Golisano patients.
“We’re an entirely volunteer organization. Nobody gets any compensation, so every dollar we raise goes to the cause locally,” Arnold said. “We’ve been very fortunate to have the support of local businesses, and, of course, the support of individual participants.”
As for the 20-year milestone, Arnold said time has flown. Paige would have turned 30 this July.
“It’s really gone by very quickly, but on the other hand it’s hard to imagine we’ve been doing it this long,” he said.
Paige’s Butterfly Run has been “great therapy” for Arnold and Yeomans, according to Arnold.
“It feels really, really good to know that we’ve been able to help kids and their families through tough times, tough times that we experienced,” he said. “We want to see everyone get through this. Unfortunately, we can’t expect that.”
Arnold said between 50 and 60 children receive a new cancer diagnosis and are treated at Golisano each year, but pediatric cancer research is woefully underfunded because pharmaceutical companies do not see it as profitable.
“It is not a great market for drug companies because … compared to, say, something like breast cancer or heart disease — the big, big killers — the incidence is still relatively low from a pure numbers perspective, and there are many, many types of childhood cancer,” Arnold said. “Cancer’s the second-leading cause of death in kids after car accidents. It’s not a big enough issue with the drug companies to make it a focus for them. We’re trying to bring it to light and highlight that it is a big issue and do what we can.”
Arnolds said helping other families go through what his family endured with Paige’s illness is rewarding, but putting money toward research is the ultimate objective.
“We’re helping to fund research for better cures,” he said. “We keep in mind today’s patients, absolutely, but we want to help tomorrow’s patients through research.”
Paige’s Butterfly Run takes place Saturday, June 4, at the James M. Hanley Federal Building, 100 S. Clinton St., Syracuse. The 5K run and 3K walk will start and finish at the National Grid building on Erie Boulevard West. Onsite registration begins at 7 a.m. The 5K race starts at 9 a.m., the 40-yard caterpillar crawl (for kids 5 and younger) begins at 9:45 a.m. and the 3K walk starts at 10:15 a.m.
To register for or donate to Paige’s Butterfly Run, visit pbrun.org. Online pre-registration by May 24 costs $30 per person. Between May 24 and 31 the cost is $35. For an added challenge, you may register a “centipede” team of five runners tethered together. Registration on the day of the race costs $45.
