A group photo from a past INcourage 5K and Kids Color Run.

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INCourage board members (from left) Kari Nodine, Rachele Martin, Kristi Eytchison, Kasey McKenney and Jennifer Roberts.

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PENDLETON — Two Pendleton moms met because they’d faced one of life’s most difficult possible challenges: their children’s cancer battles.
That connection, however, led to an annual event that is helping others get through similar situations and provide a brighter long-term outlook.
The fourth annual INCourage 5K and Kids Color Run is set for Saturday, July 8, in Falls Park.
INCourage is a community-based non-profit organization that aims to support children and families who are fighting cancer.
It was started in 2018 by Kristi Eytchison and Jennifer Roberts, both of whom had sons who went through cancer treatments and were in remission.
“We didn’t know each other prior to those things,” Eytchison said. “That is what connected us.”
Eytchison’s son Van Green had been treated for medulloblastoma, a type of brain cancer, beginning at age 3.
Roberts’ son Judd had been treated for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a type of blood cancer, beginning at age 2.
Eytchison said she and Roberts first spoke in 2017 about doing something to help families facing challenges like theirs, and by spring the following year “we were both like, ‘Let’s just do it.’”
They formed a board, including Kari Nodine, Rachele Martin and Kasey McKenney, and orchestrated their first event — the INCourage 5K and Kids Color Run.
“We really wanted to have an event that would bring our community together, something that could build awareness for childhood cancer, something where the kids can come together,” Eytchison said.
“Building the awareness was the biggest thing because eventually money will come.”
Eytchison said all the members of the board have been touched by childhood cancers in some way, and that a big part of the motivation for the board was to give back to the community that had supported them and their loved ones during their time of need.
“We had received so much support … we wanted to give back to others, and be that foundation for others.”
So far, the organization has donated nearly $60,000 to childhood cancer research and helped five families impacted by childhood cancer.
Eytchison said money helps families with the immediate expenses associated with a cancer diagnosis, including medical and travel costs.
Money is also important to help fund research, so that better treatments can be made available in the future.
“The treatment can cause health problems following treatment,” Eytchison said. By helping fund research, “they can hopefully find better drugs that are less harmful for the kids.”
This year’s 5K event starts at 9 a.m., and the route winds through Falls Park.
The color run follows the 5K.
Van Green, now 14 and a freshman at Pendleton Heights High School, and Judd Roberts, now 10 and a fifth-grader at Pendleton Elementary-Intermediate, will be at the race with their families, Eytchison said.
Registration for the 5K costs $30 until race day, when it will cost $35.
The color run is free.
T-Shirt, swag bag and medal are included with registration.
There will be music provided by a DJ, and other games and activities.
For more details and to sign up, go to incouragekids.com. Click on the events tab to register.