Walk Committee Chairwoman Dorothy Bradshaw, whose Daddy died from ALS complications, rallied the forces and raised a boatload of money while creating a fun-filled family day on Saturday, March 21 at Okeeheelee Park.
The SpenWen team was there in memory of Susan Spencer-Wendel. She was a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and courts reporter for the Palm Beach Post. Susan died on June 4, when she was just 47.
The day was full of emotional moments, with remembrances in the form of shoes and signs for those who died from this horrible disease. Inspiration was there, too. Family and friends gathered to honor the legacy of a loved one.
Before The Walk
The day began with the Maureen Corps doing an Irish Stepdancing performance to honor their dance teacher, Maureen Drake, who died 4 years ago from ALS complications. I loved their T-shirts:
Here's a video of the Irish-Stepdancers, aka the Maureen Corps:
Next up was a martial arts performance led by Susan's former dog-walker, Bridget Hammond. She runs the In-Nae Tae Kwon Do school in Lake Clarke Shores where Susan's son, Aubrey, recently received his green belt.
Aubrey is the second student in this video to display
his board-breaking ability.
Photo quilt
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| This masterpiece was made by Susan's hairstylist, Kerri Olah-Brennan. She asked friends and relatives to give her a photo of them with Susan. |
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| Aubrey Wendel and Devin Kinnally, her BFF's daughter, admire the photo quilt. |
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| Susan's daughter, Marina Wendel (right), poses with her Dreyfoos School friends before the Walk. |
More time for photos
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| Antigone Barton and me, Susan's former Post colleagues, meet at the Walk. Antigone, who now lives in Washington, D.C., was part of Susan's writing group. |
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| Susan's birth mother, Ellen Swenson, found something delighted to photograph while Susan's BFF, Nancy Maass Kinnally, looks on. Susan's younger son, Wes, does a photobomb in the rear. |
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| Kerri, a Spenwen team co-captain and a Walk committee member, shows off her colorful tutu. Susan's sister Stephanie Harwood-Parlamento, also a SpenWen team co-captain, takes a picture behind Kerri. |
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| Stephanie and her husband, Don Parlamento, sandwich Steph's Superman T-shirt friend. |
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| Stephanie and Don Parlamento's neighbors take the Super- Hero theme to extreme. |
The Walk
The SpenWen team drew together more than 40 of Susan's family and friends -- people whose lives would have stayed separate if not for meeting Susan.
The SpenWen team walks the 2-mile route. Thor
took off his Viking hat because it was just too hot.
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| This year, we actually had a team photo taken. |
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| A team dressed its black Labrador as Superman. |
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| This girl wore a sign saying she was "Grandma's Special Girl." Grammy died on Oct. 21. |
took off his Viking hat because it was just too hot.
After The Walk
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| Special cupcakes hit the spot after the 2-mile walk. |
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| Susan's husband, John Wendel, digs into a barbecue feast provided by Cheney Brothers and grilled by the Palm Beach Sheriff's cook team. |
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| Kerri Altman Bingham, Susan's lifeguard buddy from her Lake Lytal days pose with me (center) and Steve Sylvester, Susan's physical therapist. |
Kids Zone
This Sheriff''s helicopter attracted a crowd who
watched it take off.
watched it take off.
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| This kid had the slide to himself. Whee! It was a perfect way to end the day. |
And now, for my numbers
I had my best walking day on Saturday, March 21, 2015 when I walked:
Steps: 17,899
Miles: 8.8
Glad to see you continue to walk! You are an inspiration! I use my Fitbit to record my daily steps and keep trying to walk more and more.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Phyllis, for the props. I do love walking, especially with my dog. I still have an Omron pedometer to record my steps. Maybe someday I'll get a Fitbit or similar device.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to comment on my blog.