Walk/5K for Mom in Memory of Charlotte Dursee Will Benefit Holy Trinity Interparochial School’s ‘Bridge the Gap’ Fund for Families in Need

The following is a press release from Holy Trinity Interparochial School: 

The “Walk/5K for Mom in Memory of Charlotte Dursee” has been a fixture of charitable giving in the community for 14 years. This year it will have a new beneficiary: Holy Trinity Interparochial School’s “Bridge the Gap Fund.”

Scotch Plains resident Tim Dursee and his family started the 5k for Mom event as a way to honor his mother Charlotte, after she lost her battle with cancer at age 53. The beneficiary of the race has changed over the years, but always has been an organization that is important to the family.

“My mother, Charlotte Dursee was a woman with a strong sense of her Catholic faith. Her commitment to her family and faith led her to Holy Trinity School,” said Dursee. “She sent her six children to HT and went on to serve as the Home & School Association president. The school’s sense of community, faith and excellence in education was something that she held dear.” 

The event will take place Sunday, Sept. 15, in Nomahegan Park in Cranford and features a 5K run, a 2-mile walk and a fun-run for younger children. Registration opens at 8 a.m. on the day of the event with the fun run starting at 9 a.m., the 5K run at 9:15 a.m. and the 2-mile walk at 9:30 a.m. The 5K course starts and ends in the park, while the 2-mile walk is entirely inside the park.

The entry fee for adults and children who run in the 5K or walk in the 2-mile walk, will be $25 before Sept. 1 and $30 thereafter, including on the morning of the race. The entry fee for children who run in the fun run will be $5. Those interested can register at 5k4mom.com and pay with a credit card; or they can pick up a form at Holy Trinity Interparochial School, 336 First St., Westfield, N.J., and with cash or check.

Participants are encouraged to seek sponsors to support their participation in the run. Sponsorship forms can be downloaded from 5k4mom.com.

All participants receive a T-Shirt; and awards will be given for various categories by gender and age group.

Tim and his wife, Kate, have continued the family tradition, sending their children to the school. The Dursee family also shows its support by sponsoring an annual scholarship to a graduating student from HTIS.

“We are blessed to have the Dursee family dedicate the proceeds from their race to our school’s ‘Bridge the Gap Fund,” said Sr. Maureen Fichner, SSJ, principal of the school. The fund is used to help families at the school who find themselves in financial need as the result of unforeseen circumstances.

“At our school we put an emphasis on inspiring our students to become responsible members of their communities. This event shows the value of love of family and puts into action our faith’s teaching to support those in need.”

For those who can’t participate in the race, tax-deductible donations to the fund can be made through the race’s web site as well.

Holy Trinity, a 2011 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, is a parochial school educating students in grades 1 through 8 at the Westfield campus on First Avenue and early education program for 2 ½-year-olds through kindergarten at the Our Lady of Lourdes campus in Mountainside.