Circle of Care

Circle of Care is hosting their annual “Make Tracks” event at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, inviting families of childhood cancer patients to walk or run in a 5K on September 28th in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. 

Circle of Care has been hosting “Make Tracks” for the past decade to raise awareness and bring the community together. For the past ten years the event has been located in Wilton though this year, “Make Tracks” is moving to Sherwood Island. This relocation is meant to symbolize the organization's growth and expanded impact in the state of Connecticut. 

“We have literally outgrown the space, we had four-hundered fifty participants last year and we are expecting five-hundred to six-hundred this year,” Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director Elizabeth Salguero said.

Each year, around two hundred children in Connecticut alone are diagnosed with some form of cancer, at the same time more than five hundred kids are in active treatment at any given time. 

“I don’t think you could talk to one person that says they don’t know somebody that struggled with this disease,” NHS school counselor Deidre Croce said

About one in every two hundred and sixty children will develop cancer before the age of twenty. Organizations like Circle of Care host events such as “Make Tracks” to let kids know there are people out there working towards their survival. 

“The event is so much more than a walk or a run, it’s a statement of solidarity with every child and family in Connecticut facing the unimaginable diagnosis of pediatric cancer,” Salguero said.

“Make Tracks” is open to the public and offers something for everyone. A timed 5K for runners, an untimed walk for anyone who wants to relax a little, as well as activities for all ages. This event is meant to raise awareness and funds to help the Circle of Care community provide aid to cancer kids and their families. 

“The funds and awareness generated by this event ensure that families don’t have to face the emotional, practical, and financial burdens of cancer alone.” Salguero said.

The “Make Tracks” event takes place in September, on the twenty-eighth in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

The event is being presented by ASML and is sponsored by Northwestern Mutual Tri-Harbor Financial Group, Inspira Marketing Group, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Star 99.9, and John Schiaroli of Coldwell Banker Realty. 

“Make Tracks” is about supporting families with children that have cancer.

“For Circle of Care, it’s about raising both awareness and the resources that allow us to be there for families the moment they hear the words, ‘Your child has cancer’,” Salguero said.