To the Editor:

Friends of Aine is pleased to thank the community for the tremendous outpouring of support of the fifth annual Friends of Aine Kids Try-athlon, which took place on Sunday, Aug. 13 in Bedford.

The Friends of Aine Kids Try-athlon encompasses the 3 things Aine loved to do all summer: swim, bike and run. The TRY-athlon is a race for all kids ages 4-15, no matter their athletic ability. It is an opportunity for kids to experience a race without the pressures of worrying if they can make the distances or not it is designed so that everyone is triumphant!

Highlights of the fifth annual Friends of Aine Try-athlon included having 311 young athletes cross the finish line, including athletes from as close as Bedford and as far as California and Canada! Additionally, we had our first adaptive try-athlete participate in this year’s race. A final huge highlight of the event was the incredible, family-focused post race festival. Families enjoyed a pancake breakfast sponsored by Hannaford; Kona Ice treats; water games organized by the Class of 2020; a dunk tank with special guest, McKelvie Intermediate School Principal Michael Fournier; an obstacle course designed and run by the Bedford Crew Team and several other great activities hosted by various community organization and businesses.

We are grateful for our sponsors who helped through in-kind donations, monetary contributions and volunteers at the event: Hannafords, Fisher Cats, Apple Therapy, AutoFair, Bedford Bulldogs, Bedford Commons Periodontics, Bedford Dance Center, Bedford Men’s Club, Bonneville and Sons, Chestnut Family Dental, CMC, Inspire Arts and Music, Dovetail Dental, EPE Corporation, The Reardons, Elliott Orthodontics, Liberty International Truck, Melody Pines, Northeast Delta Dental, NH Magazine, NH Orthopaedics, Parenting NH, Primary Bank, Primrose Schools, Robert Dawkins, CPA, Rothwangl Dental, Service Credit Union, SNG Barratt, SNHU Arena, Teiger Enterprises, TF Moran, NH Print and Mail, Ameriprise, VHB, Weaver Bros., Spectrum Marketing.

Friends of Aine is a 501c3 nonprofit organization to help support grieving children and establish a center of support, safety and compassion for these children, like Aine’s surviving sister, Bella, who feel alone because their brother or sister or mother or father died too soon. Friends of Aine’s vision is to create an enduring legacy of Aine that embodies her spirit and character by helping grieving

children, their families and our surrounding communities. On March 19, 2016 Friends of Aine kicked off a capital campaign with the goal of raising funds to support the opening of the Friends of Aine Center, a permanent place to house bereavement support programs for children and families in our community. This will be the first such facility in New Hampshire and one of only a few in all of New England.

While the primary goal of the Friends of Aine Kids Try-athlon is for kids to try hard and have fun with the exhilarating support of the community, in an authentic race environment, we also count on this event as a major fundraiser for the organization. We are humbled and grateful for the support and generosity of our participants, volunteers and sponsors, as well as the entire community. We are pleased to announce that this year’s Friends of Aine Kids Try-athlon raised more than $45,000, getting us that much closer to opening the Friends of Aine Center.

For more information, visit www.friendsofaine.com or www.facebook.com/friendsofaine.

– Submitted by Friends of Aine