Community connection

Spectators will once again be able to line the streets and cheer on the wheelchair participants.

Now that Miles for Matheny is back in the center of town, Matheny is going the extra mile to make sure businesses in the community benefit. This year, we will be hosting a “Community Table” in Liberty Park. Peapack-Gladstone businesses and organizations have been invited to place promotional materials such as brochures, flyers and coupons on the table in order to spread the word about what they do.

Anyone who would like to participate should contact Patricia Cats in Matheny’s Development Office at 908 234-0011, ext. 260, or email her at pcats@matheny.org. Matheny sincerely appreciates the community partnership and support we receive. This support helps make Miles for Matheny a success.

This year’s Miles for Matheny will be held Sunday, April 22. Activities include a 5K Race, five different Cycling Rides, a Kids Fun Run and the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk in which more than 100 children and adults in wheelchairs, with walking partners, travel 1.5 miles around town. All funds raised at the event help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to Matheny’s inpatients and to people with disabilities in the community.

Major Miles for Matheny 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.

Walking the Miles

Adult patient Jessica Evans enjoying the Wheelchair Walk.

The late Lu Huggins was the inspiration and one of the founders of Miles for Matheny, the annual fundraiser and community event, which will be held Sunday, April 22, in downtown Peapack, NJ. Huggins, a former Matheny trustee, was determined to lead a normal life despite being in wheelchair. She also always wanted to make sure Matheny students and patients had a chance to experience “what life was like in the real world.”

At the 15th annual Miles for Matheny, more than 100 children and adults in wheelchairs, with walking partners, will travel 1.5 miles through town. Our students and patients look forward to this walk each year. Come walk with us, cheer us from the sidelines and form a team to raise funds to support this event.

All money raised at Miles for Matheny supports the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to our inpatients and to children and adults with disabilities in the community. In addition to the Wheelchair Walk, there is a 5K race, five Cycling routes and a Kids Fun Run. Everything will take place downtown in Liberty Park, accompanied by a Breakfast of Champions, courtesy of The Friends of Matheny and refreshments throughout the day.

For more information, log onto www.milesformatheny.org or call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260.

Ride on!

Cyclists will have new routes this year.

The five cycling routes at the 15th annual Miles for Matheny will have a new look. After three years with the same routes, Lee Brush, a resident of Annandale and former president of the Bedminster Flyers cycling club, felt it was time for a change. The 12-mile route is now 10 miles, the 23-mile route is now 25 miles and the 32-mile ride is now 35 miles. The 50 miles and Hills of Attrition rides will remain the same.

The 10-mile distance is the “family friendly” route. In the past, it hadn’t been so friendly because there were some difficult hills and the route crossed a highway.

All cycling rides will use the Whitehouse Station branch of our cycling sponsor, Peapack-Gladstone Bank, as a rest stop, reducing our rest stop locations from four to one. This will make delivery and pickup of supplies easier and should be more interesting for the riders and volunteers at the stop.

Miles for Matheny will be held Sunday, April 22, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack, NJ. The 50-mile and Hills of Attrition rides take off at 10 a.m.; 25 and 35-mile rides start at 10:45 a.m.; and the 10-mile ride leaves at 11:45 a.m.

Miles for Matheny also includes a Kids Fun Run at 11:30 a.m.; a 5K race at 12:15 p.m.; and the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk at 1 p.m. All funds raised help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to Matheny’s inpatients and to children and adults with disabilities in the community.

For more information, log onto www.milesformatheny.org or call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260.

Miles for Matheny returns!

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.