On Oct. 20, the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center held its 19th annual CHaD HERO fundraiser event, raising $825,000 for local child healthcare. More than 3,100 participants from across the Upper Valley ran, walked and volunteered, according to CHaD HERO fundraising events director Olive Isaacs.
The event began in 2006 and is now the largest fundraising event for DHMC, according to previous reporting by The Dartmouth.
CHaD HERO allows participants to choose from a selection of events, including a half-marathon, competitive 5K run, 5K walk or “Cam’s Course 1-mile Fun Run,” an untimed run around Dartmouth’s campus named after CHaD patient Cam Marshall, according to the Dartmouth Health website. Participants could also opt to virtually participate in any activity of their choosing.
The Children’s Hospital supplied each participant with a personal fundraising page to send to supporters for donations, according to participant Sydney Grogean ’28. Grogean, who ran in the half-marathon, said she “sent [her] fundraising emails mainly to [her] family” and raised $250. Participants were required to raise at least $150 to compete in the half-marathon, $100 for the 5K run or walk and $25 for the 1-Mile Fun Run, according to the Dartmouth Health website.
According to Isaacs, CHaD HERO delivers funding to “services and areas of the Children’s Hospital that would not be funded otherwise.” Isaacs said the Child Life program — designed to promote development in children and reduce the trauma of hospitalization — and the pediatric Mental Health Access Initiative — designed to restore mental health and foster resilience in children — “are funded 100% through philanthropy.” Since 2006, CHaD HERO has raised nearly $10 million for Children’s Hospital programs, according to the Dartmouth Health website.
CHaD is the only comprehensive, full-service children’s hospital in New Hampshire, providing advanced pediatric services to children and families of the Upper Valley, according to the Dartmouth Health website. Its mission is to support patients in the Upper Valley “regardless of a family’s ability to pay,” Isaacs explained — a reality she has witnessed firsthand.
“I know families who benefit from our services, ” Isaacs said.
According to Isaacs, the Children’s Hospital decided to remove registration fees for the CHaD HERO event starting in 2023, a move that has increased participation from 2,000 to 3,1000 over the last two years. The registration fee was previously $15, according to previous reporting by The Dartmouth.
“We really wanted to make this an accessible event for all, and so we focused on helping people fundraise for us and shifted away from that sort of paid model of registration fees,” Isaacs said.
Dartmouth student participants reported sharing the passion for local philanthropy. James Horowitz ’27, who participated in the 5K run with a group of friends, said his group hoped to work together for a good cause.
“We wanted … to have a chance to bond while also doing something that helps out the greater community … The shared purpose was the most special part about it,” Horowitz said.
Kate Hammerness ’28 — who ran in the half-marathon with a group of friends and raised $500 — said the experience was “good vibes all around.”
“My friend and I saw a pamphlet for it and were like, we should totally do that … [because] it was one of those things that you don’t have to pay for but you just have to raise money for,” Hammerness said.
Horowitz said he is eager to participate in the event again and try the half-marathon next year.
Isaacs said the “long-standing relationships with various groups within the Dartmouth College ecosystem” helped the event run smoothly this year. The College’s athletics organizations, Greek Life, service organizations and social clubs all played significant roles, she added.
“The entire finish line was lined with members of the men’s hockey team, the women’s hockey team [and] the women’s soccer team,” Isaacs said. “…The men’s soccer team helped us pack everything up at the end of the day… The intersection of the College and the local community coming together to support this cause … [is] a really special part of it.”
