Squeaking shoes, loud cheers and a sea of blue t-shirts ran through Whitman’s grounds Sunday morning as runners took on the Hope for Henry 5K race, raising $18,000 in sponsorships and donations for the foundation.

Laurie Strongin and Allen Goldberg created Hope for Henry after their son died from Fanconi anemia in 2002. The seven-year-old from Washington, D.C., had received a bone marrow transplant for a blood disorder prior to his passing, which inspired his parents to create a program that raises money to help children undergoing similar treatments and create an outlet to lift their spirits.

​”We founded Hope for Henry in 2003 to honor Henry’s ability to live well and laugh hard, even as he faced a serious disease, in the hopes that we could take what we learned through Henry and make other children’s lives better,” Strongin said.

Since its inception in 2003, and through the funds raised at events like the 5K, Hope for Henry has been able to serve more than 13,000 children at hospitals in Washington, D.C., and around the country.

In previous years, the race was a one-mile event in downtown Bethesda, but the foundation’s teen advisory board, a group that helps set up events for the organization, decided to expand the run this year by holding it at Whitman.

“This was the first year we’ve had a 5K,” said Dylan Rothschild, a member of the teen advisory board. “We hired a race company, got timing checks, and got a real, certified course at Whitman. This year was definitely our biggest one, and we’d like to hold it at Whitman again next year.”

Nearly 200 people from around the DMV area participated in the 5K.

“I love knowing that I’ve benefited Hope for Henry because it is an amazing organization,” race participant Tamar Jacobsohn said. “The fact that there is an organization solely dedicated to making kids lives at the hospital a little bit better every day is so awesome.”

Every week, the Hope for Henry team visits the Children’s National and MedStar Georgetown University hospitals to provide patients with celebrations, including read-a-thons with nationally known authors and pamper parties in which girls and their mothers receive makeovers, carts full of movies, popcorn and cupcakes.

The non-profit even pays for full-time child life specialists—healthcare professionals that provide constant support and care to the entire family as the child undergoes treatment for serious illnesses.

“More often than not, if it’s a patient’s first time experiencing a Hope for Henry event, they don’t believe it,” event director Stefanie Rothschild said. “After they get to know Hope for Henry, they’re thrilled when they see the carts and parties coming through. The kids get excited and the parents are just so happy. It’s really amazing.”