Lacing up for Andrea

Pendleton - Andrea Vellinga supporters will get a chance to switch their pink ribbons for pink shoelaces at the For the Love of Andrea Big May 5K Run Walk later next month. The date of the first annual marathon also holds special meeting for Vellinga, the Pendleton resident and mother of one who was critically injured at the Indiana State Fair stage collapse, and her supporters.

“We’re holding the event on Andrea’s birthday,” FTLOA organizer Jennifer Hathcoat said. “We’re really all very excited.”

The Big May 5K Run Walk will take place Saturday, May 19, and will have one very special guest.

“Andrea isn’t just going to be at the event,” Hathcoat said. “She’s going to actually walk it.”

Vellinga, who spent more than a month in coma following the accident, was once thought to paralyzed, and family members were even told at one point she would be unable to speak.

Following the collapse in August, the community rallied around Vellinga and her family by holding prayer vigils, painting the town with pink ribbons, hosting several local charity events and helping raise more than $150,000 for her medical bills.

The Big May 5K Run Walk will begin at 9 a.m. from a very important location.

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