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Stratton Faxon Fairfield Races will donate $1 for every mile run by a Race4Chase team member. Money raised will be donated to the Chase Kowalski Memorial Foundation. Stratton Fax law firm will match the amount raised by the Race4Chase team.
Runners, even those who already registered, can join the Race4Chase team by visiting its online fundraising page or visiting the Facebook page. Runners can also register by sending an email to kristin.jbsports@snet.net.
Kevin Grimes, a neighbor of the Kowalski family in Sandy Hook, is part of a group that helped organize the foundation. “Chase was quite athletic, loved sports, had a tremendous amount of energy,’’ said Grimes, who works in Wilton. “He was an amazing kid. He started running races when he was 3 years old, and last year he won a triathlon. He did more than your normal kid would do.”
Fairfield is the second event in which runners can support the Kowalski Foundation. Runners in a race in Monroe earlier this month joined the Race4Chase team.
Kevin Bresnahan, a friend of the Kowalski family, will lead the team of runners in Fairfield. About 40 runners have registered to support the cause.
The foundation has also established MillionMiles4Chase, in which athletes challenge supporters to fundraise through sponsorship of their training miles. Participants select a goal of training miles to dedicate to Chase’s memory and solicit pledges for each mile that they run, bike or swim.
Connecting with the cause for the Kowalski Foundation was a natural fit, Grimes said.
“He was full of life, and his family is a terrific family,’’ he said. “Personally I’m happy to be involved with whatever the family would like me to do going forward. To feel like I’m doing constructive is important. It’s not easy for any of us that knew Chase. But maybe we make this into something that is good for the community, not only here but across the country. Chase was a special boy.”
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