The PCRF's 25th Anniversary "Reaching for the Cure" event is set to return to Irvine Valley College and RunStrong will join the community of excited runners  who dedicate their miles to fight cancer in children worldwide.

RunStrong is now one of the largest running clubs in Orange County and dominated the "Santa Claus for a Cause" 5k/10k at Bolsa Chica State Beach on Saturday, December 17th.  Over 250 runners from Santa Ana competed in the festive, holiday themed race with many placing first in their age groups.   Thanks to all the parents who helped to distribute snacks, water, Christmas headbands and candy canes!    

Priscilla is an active, a well-rounded senior at Segerstrom High School.  As a student athlete, not only is she focused on doing well in her AP and Honors classes, but achieving athletic excellence competing in Cross Country, Soccer and Track & Field. As early as the 5th grade, Priscilla discovered a love for running and often found herself outrunning both girls and boys during recess. At MacArthur Intermediate School, she was introduced to Cross Country and to Coach David Diaz, coordinator of the RunStrong Program at the time.  Coach Diaz encouraged her to join RunStrong and Priscilla participated in the program during her 6th, 7th and 8th grade years. Not only did she participate, but she was also an admirable student leader encouraging other students to always do their best and to never give up. Her love for running and championship spirit grew as she competed in RunStrong sponsored events where she often placed in her age category, outrunning youth from all over Southern California.  

As the oldest of her siblings, Priscilla is driven to excel academically and athletically in order to create a positive role model for her younger sisters just as other family members created for her. Her family values education and she strives to do her best in all areas of her life understanding that with hard work, determination and dedication you can not only reach your goals but exceed them. Priscilla would like to pursue a degree in Political Science and English with a goal of attending Law School. 

The Kevin Armstrong MD Memorial Sports Foundation... encouraging and supporting academic and athletic excellence. Congratulations Priscilla!

Never would we have imagined that almost 17 years after launching the Kevin Armstrong MD Memorial Sports Foundation in Santa Ana, we would still be going strong. The RunStrong Parent/Student Orientation on October 5, 2022 was the most well attended in our history! Thanks to all the students and parents who joined us to learn about Kevin and the work we are doing in his memory to positively impact the lives of young people. Congratulations to our first RunStar, Kiara Padilla!  Heartfelt thanks to our awesome volunteer coaches, to MIT for hosting the event and to the generous sponsors who continue to support us.  We couldn’t do this work without you. Looking forward to an awesome year! 

After 2 years of virtual challenges and drive-through activities, RunStrong students were excited to participate in local running events again.  The Kevin Armstrong MD Memorial Sports Foundation sponsored over 600 runners from Santa Ana in three events: the “Dino Dash”, the “Santa Claus for A Cause” Run and the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation’s “Reaching for the Cure” race.  At each event, RunStrong was the largest team registered with the most enthusiastic runners!  Students ran like the wind in bright neon green team shirts in numbers that were visible to all race participants and onlookers.  Their presence definitely had an impact and at each event, both students and coaches earned numerous awards by placing in their age groups.  We couldn’t be prouder of these students…especially those who trained hard, overcame their fears and anxiety, and challenged themselves to cross their first 5K finish line! 
 
We are grateful to all the coaches, parents and volunteers who helped to make this year a success, especially during these times when students are longing for activities to help improve their emotional, physical and social well-being.  Building core relationships with others, while participating in fun, healthy activities is valuable to our students and we are grateful to the many sponsors and donors who continue to make these programs possible. 

Please take a minute to view the re-cap video. 

After a 2 year hiatus due to the pandemic, on Monday, April 4th, over 90 enthusiastic golfers participated in the 12th Annual Kevin Armstrong MD Memorial Sports Foundation Golf Tournament at the Tustin Ranch Golf Club. It was a beautiful day for golf!  Sponsorship dollars, green fees and other monetary contributions from our generous participants enabled us to reach our fundraising goals.  This was critically important as we have been unable to host any significant fundraising events over the past two years due to the pandemic.