Run for a Revolution goes super

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Woodland Regional High School senior Nicole Cina works on a sign for Woodland Worldwide’s fifth annual Run for a Revolution Sept. 19 at the school in Beacon Falls. The event is Oct. 12 at Woodland. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI
Woodland Regional High School senior Nicole Cina works on a sign for Woodland Worldwide’s fifth annual Run for a Revolution Sept. 19 at the school in Beacon Falls. The event is Oct. 12 at Woodland. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI

BEACON FALLS — Woodland Worldwide’s annual Run for a Revolution just got a little more super.

The group, a Woodland Regional High School-based nonprofit organization with a mission to advance the rights of women and girls within the community and around the world, has added new element to the fifth annual run, Woodland Worldwide co-advisors Lisa Olivere and Meghan Geary explained. This year’s run has been dubbed the “Superhero(ine) Run4Rev.”

On the day of the run participants can choose between a race T-shirt or a superhero cape to wear. The cape will have the Run for a Revolution logo on it and a space for runners to write the name of their hero.

Whether a person’s hero is someone they admire, or someone who is facing or has overcome adversity, Olivere said, the new twist to the run is about shining the light on everyday heroes.

“It’s about just recognizing the everyday heroes that our in our lives, that are in our community, that often times go unrecognized,” Olivere said.

The run, which includes a 5K and a 2 mile walk, is Oct. 12 at the high school, 135 Back Rimmon Road. The proceeds from the event will benefit Woodland Worldwide scholarships and programs and two organizations — the Gimbichu Project, which provides medical care, education and clean water to its namesake village in Ethiopia, and the Malala Fund, which “aims to create a world where girls are empowered to reach their potential through a quality education.”

Geary said the run is about more than raising money though. It’s a special event to bring the community together, she said.

“First and foremost we just want a lot of people to come,” Geary said.
This year’s run will also mark a first for Woodland Worldwide. The organization will award its first ever “The Real Man Award” to Ryan Matthews, the founder and executive director of The Susie Foundation.

Matthews, a Woodland graduate and Beacon Falls native, started the foundation in honor of his mother, Susan (Ready) Matthews, who passed away in 2011 from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The foundation supports local homebound patients and their families living with ALS in Connecticut.

Each of the previous four years, Woodland Worldwide has given out its Heroine Award.
“The Real Man Award” is a symbolic acknowledgement of all the heroes in the community, Olivere said. Geary and Olivere said Matthews epitomizes what it means to be a superhero.

“He’s a superhero. Superheroes, the thing they all have in common is they all help people, they all give back to their community, they all serve their community and that’s exactly who Ryan Matthews is,” Olivere said.

The Run for a Revolution starts at 8:30 a.m. with registration packet pickup. There will be a Zumba warm-up session at 9 a.m. led by Live, Love Dance Fitness Studio from Prospect. The run and walk start at 10 a.m. The day will also feature family-friendly activities.

Registration is $25 for adults, $20 for students ages 12 to 18, and $10 for children 12 years old and younger. Registration can be done online at www.woodlandforwomenworldwide.org.