Treyson Barr watches his older brother, 3-year-old Bryson take a spin on a motorcycle at American
Supercamp’s learn to ride clinic during last year’s Alex Sabados Day of Kindness.
Jan Dowker / The Surveyor

UPDATE: Alex Sabados Day of Kindness event that was scheduled for Saturday, March 19 has been postponed to Saturday, April 2. Event schedules remain the same.

For updates, check out the group’s Facebook page.

By May Soricelli
The Surveyor

Berthoud will encounter exponential kindness as a result the sixth annual Alex Sabados Day of Kindness on. It’s the nonprofit’s mission to raise support and awareness of pediatric cancer and also to help find ways to spread kindness as a silver lining to the difficulties associated with diagnosis. This year the effort encompasses a new objective to make a wish come true for a local child battling cancer. The scale of events and activities have grown and will bring in charitable donations for multiple related causes.

“This year we have added a new mission to our event. Since we are a nonprofit organization we have decided to bless a child with cancer with a local ‘kindness wish,’” said Suzanne Doles of LetsPLANet Giving, “Similar to Make-A-Wish, with helping family with transportation, hotel accommodations, fun excursions, financial support, etc.”

The family chosen as recipient of this gift is the family of 6-year-old Jacob Young, who was diagnosed 18 months ago with leukemia. He has undergone several months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Young’s “wishes” include visiting an amusement park with his family, including his three brothers ages 4, 9 and 11. He also wishes to meet Batman and a WWE wrestler.

“We are working with the family and helping make some of Jacob’s wishes come true while supporting them any way we can as an outreach support system,” said Doles. The organization aims to collect donations that would enable the family to have a few days’ stay in Denver in which they could have family passes for Elitches and a personal visit with Batman, as well as a bundle of hotel accommodations, gas cards, restaurant certificates, and fun events for the family. The Day of Kindness enables the community to give a gift of kindness to this family in their time of difficulty.

Saturday’s events will take place at the Berthoud High School track as well as the field just north of the high school. The variety of events include a competitive 5k run at 9:30 a.m. − the entry fee is $20 and includes a t-shirt. At 10:30 there will be a memory walk/run which is free with a toy donation for Children’s Hospital, and a free Learn to Ride a Motorcycle event for children ages 12 and younger with American SuperCamp from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. At noon a Community Cruise bike ride starts with Berthoud Bicycle and mountain biker Olympian Georgia Gould. Face painting will be offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A Bounce Rescue animal adoption event will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Throughout the day participants can enter to win a bicycle donated by Berthoud Bicycle and Berthoud Fire Department simply by attending the event and registering to win. Additionally, City Star will donate $1 per every beer purchased throughout the day to the Lahmann family. Kindness will be given out by the cup with a “Cup of Coffee on Alex,” where free coffee will be available at the library, Da Bean and local banks.

There are numerous ways to be involved throughout the month of March. Donate a “can of kindness” of non-perishables for the House of Neighborly Services at the Berthoud library. New books, DVDs and games are being collected for Children’s Hospital and can also be dropped off at the library. Local schools, as well as the library, are collecting soda-pop tabs to benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Aurora.

Gold ribbons will be distributed and worn to show support, as well as “share an act of kindness with others and pass it on” cards will be given out as a gesture of kindness throughout the event.

“The purpose of this event is to honor and remember all those who have fought, or are currently fighting, pediatric cancer, while we celebrate the kindness, love and caring that this community has, especially for our children,” said Doles.