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The numbers are in, and the Post Office 5K held earlier this month in Babylon Village raised a whopping $37,000 for the National MPS Society.
The nonprofit advocacy group aids families and helps fund MPS research. MPS, or Mucopolysaccharidoses, is an often fatal genetic disease in children.
The disease has hit home for the Lessing family of Lessing’s Hospitality Group, which owns and operates the Post Office on West Main Street.
Executive vice president Mark Lessing had two children, Mark and Casey, diagnosed with the disorder. Mark passed on Nov. 1, 2010, at 20 years old. Casey died on July 4, 2016, at 24 years old.
Along the 5K course were purple and green balloons in memory Mark and Casey, who were a year apart in age.
“The CEO of the MPS Society was at the race and she says this money is making a cure a real reality,” said Mark Lessing. “Although it’s a bittersweet day we feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude as we keep the memory of Mark and Casey alive.”
862 people participated in the Oct. 21 race, good for the highest participation in its 26-year history. It was also the most money ever raised.
$800 was raised by Crossfit 231 and Crossfit Lindy in one hour at a pre-race workout.
“The Post Office Race is a celebration of Mark and Casey’s lives, their struggle to survive, and their family’s triumph to go on living,” said Jennifer Cantin, a Lessing’s spokesperson, “and to honor their children’s memory and help others afflicted with MPS — in the hopes of one day finding a cure.”
“The best day of the year happened once again,” Lessing said.
RACE DAY PHOTOS:
20 Photos: Scenes from the 26th annual Post Office 5K race to end MPS
