On Sunday, July 23rd, we successfully hosted a craniofacial walk-a-thon; “Races for Faces” at Riverside Park on the Upper West Side of Manhattan where hundreds of myFace patients along with their families and supporters walked showing strength & courage throughout the day. To all of the fundraising teams, supporters, donors and virtual walkers who came together, we thank YOU! We would also like to extend our gratitude to our donating vendors and sponsors for your generosity & help in making this event a success.

This year we had over 600 registered walkers
and raised over $160,000!

Our annual walk included a Family Carnival where there were lots of games and activities for children as well as adults to enjoy!

This casual 2K Walk was perfect for people who like to do something meaningful while having fun with friends and family. With part of the route along the scenic Riverside Park, it gave us a greater amount of visibility to raise awareness for the craniofacial community. 100% of the funds raised will go toward urgently needed medical, surgical, dental and psychosocial services for all our craniofacial patients.

We were so excited to have meteorologist from Channel 7 Eyewitness News, Jeff Smith, as our Master of Ceremonies for the day! His opening remarks gave positive vibes to all the participants and we are extremely grateful for his continued support!

The Klein family was this year’s Grand Marshals. They are true champions as exemplified by their strength, courage and passion. Bruce, father of Hannah and Bari (both were born with Treacher Collins Syndrome), shared: “Throughout this journey, myFace has been there for our entire family. We’ve attended almost every holiday party, numerous family receptions, parent support meetings, bowling parties, Races for Faces and participated in many fundraisers and video projects… It often feels like myFace should be called myFamily.”

Hannah then expressed her feeling about myFace: “myFace means a lot to me. Every time I have a surgery they help me and my family prepare for it. When I go to myFace events I feel like I am comfortable to be myself because I am with people just like me.”
We want to thank Hannah and the Klein family for their kind words and incredible support throughout the years.

We got a chance to ask a few walkers to learn about what inspired and motivated them to sign up.

Arielle from this year’s Most Spirited Team, Kiran’s crew, celebrated her first Races for Faces. She explained what brought her to come and support: “I knew about this Race through my mother’s coworker, Dana. It was the first time for me finding out about craniofacial conditions. It was an inspiring race to join and I’m happy to have participated.”

The Kyleman team was once again the largest fundraising team for this year and were awarded the Top Fundraising team award.

James, pictured above, celebrates his grandson, Kyle’s 5th Races for Faces. What an impressive feat!

This year’s Races for Faces featured a new and fun challenge: The myFace Pie challenge! Participants were encouraged to challenge a friend(s) to donate to myFace’s mission or accept the consequence of getting pied in the face.

The author of Somewhere Beneath, Vivian Hwang, who has been inspired by myFace’s mission, was proud to raise awareness for the craniofacial community. Here is her message she shared with her Facebook fans: “MyFace has been a very important organization to me, and I am very happy to have represented them this year during my author events. She explained: “I think that we live in a world that is very judgmental on the way people look. However, we must remember that a person’s physical appearance is only one aspect of their existence. Behind every face, there are multiple dimensions of thoughts, feelings, and opinions that are yet to be discovered if we only have the compassion, empathy, and understanding to do so. If we really want to know the people around us, we must spend time talking with them, laughing with them, comforting them, and helping them. Actions, words, and achievements are what truly define us.”

Click on an image below to view gallery

Click here to view more photos from Races for Faces 2017!

Missed Races for Faces? You could still make an impact on the craniofacial community by donating to any team, individual or a general donation: racesforfaces.org
If you’re feeling inspired to take on a challenge of your own and walk for patients with craniofacial conditions at next year’s Races for Faces, sign up for our newsletter to stay tuned for Races for Faces 2018!