A charity run from Bloomington-Normal to Peoria turns 40 this year, supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and its affiliate clinics across the country—the first of which opened in Peoria in 1972.
Founded in 1985, the St. Jude Bloomington-Normal to Peoria Run was the first of more than 30 fundraisers convening in Peoria by foot. Runners participating in St. Jude's original charity run left Memphis on Tuesday. In addition to the inaugural satellite route from Bloomington-Normal to Peoria, runners start from Canton, Chillicothe, Dunlap, LaSalle/Peru and Washington, among many others.
Why Peoria?
St. Jude's mission surrounds childhood cancers, sponsoring research and providing free medical care for young patients.
In an interview for WGLT's Sound Ideas, retired State Farm employee and co-coordinator of the St. Jude Bloomington runners Dennis Cler said comic Danny Thomas, who founded St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis in 1962, had a connection to Peoria.
"He was friends with Mayor Jim Maloof," Cler said, "and Mayor Maloof talked Danny Thomas into opening an affiliate in Peoria so patient families wouldn’t have to go all the way down to Memphis."
Today, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has eight affiliate clinics across the country and other partnerships with hospitals worldwide.
Elaine Kase, a State Farm employee and St. Jude Bloomington-Normal to Peoria Run coordinator, became involved with St. Jude after being asked by a friend to become a runner in 2001. She said Peoria’s St. Jude Affiliate Program holds other events besides runs—many with the same Memphis-Peoria connection.
“A couple of the most major [events] are the drive, which is a Corvette drive,” Kase said. “They go down to Memphis and actually come back to Peoria. They raise funds along the way, and then there’s also a ride version in addition to the run—which is riding motorcycles—and they also do fundraising events.”
Kase said St. Jude sometimes receives grants from partnering organizations but that most of its funding comes from donations collected during runs, rides or drives.
The Carter Family
One St. Jude family from Bloomington said they’ve participated in many runs over the past decade. While they won’t be able to attend this year, mom Cathe Carter said it is sure to be a great experience.
Carter’s son and daughter, Austin and Haley Carter, were both treated by Peoria's St. Jude Affiliate Program and eventually the main hospital in Memphis.
Carter said Haley was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer which primarily affects children and teenagers, in her shin in 2007 when she was 9. Later, her son Austin was diagnosed with the exact same cancer in his shin only 10 months later when he was 12.
“Haley had 18 rounds of [chemotherapy],” Carter said.
Haley’s leg was treated with surgery in Memphis where an extendable rod was placed in her leg.
Carter said both Haley and Austin underwent chemotherapy treatments at the same time. Austin received the same surgery as his sister at the Memphis hospital, but his leg was amputated after a complication occurred.
Carter said the journey lasted for about two and a half years for both kids together.
“Haley is now 27 and Austin is now 29. Austin still lives his life—even though he has a prosthetic leg, he still rock climbs, he still longboards, he can ride a bike,” Carter said.
Haley is also quite active, despite complications.
"Right after freshman year of high school, she had to have the extendable rod replaced with a permanent rod, and so she had that surgery,” Carter said.
Haley was diagnosed with cancer a second time in 2023 at age 25 with osteosarcoma in her opposite leg—16 years after her first cancer diagnosis.
“St. Jude was still involved even 16 years later when she was 25,” Carter said.
Carter said Haley is now married and teaches in Ethiopia at an international Christian school.
Carter said she would tell other families with St. Jude patients to try and always hold onto hope.
“St. Jude will do everything in their power to help your child to be cancer-free,” Carter said. “For St. Jude to cover everything for two kids is just crazy, so I am just very, very thankful for St. Jude. We will always support St. Jude.”
The St. Jude Bloomington-Normal to Peoria Run begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, starting at Von Maur in Normal. All members of the community are invited to attend. Lunch will be provided.
