How ambitious I was to think I’d post a recap about Max’s Moon Run a couple days after the event. That was a cute idea. It was May and as any parent of young kids knows, the month of May is December on steroids. That said, it’s now June and I have no further excuses.
The third annual Max’s Moon Run was spectacular. Would I love to host an event (for once) that is not weather contingent? Yes. Do I believe a tsunami in Georgia could happen no matter if I planned the event in May or October? Also, yes. The good news is that, miraculously, wonderfully, the weather has yet to keep us from hosting a successful event.
The drizzle was consistent throughout the night of May 5th, or Cinco de Max, as we called it, but so were the smiles. We had 412 registrants (more than ever!), including a slew of walk-ups. We had a group from Annandale Village, a local residential community for adults with special needs, join us, and runners with Ainsley’s Angels, Speed for Need, and ConnectAbility were there pushing at least a dozen individuals in customized racing wheelchairs. We were so tickled to have these non-profits join us.
We kicked off the night with a special surprise. We gifted a custom adapted bicycle to a precious boy named Jaxson Maldonado. Jaxson has four brothers, including his twin, and has wanted to ride bikes with them for a long time. How grateful we were to make this wish a reality. Big thanks to Jaydene Lowe and our friends at Freedom Concepts for creating Jaxson’s bike. His face lit up at the sight of it and we continued to catch glimpses of his elation while his parents pushed him around the park. Jaxson’s surprise set the tone for the evening. It was a precious moment that punctuated why we do events like Max’s Moon Run and the golf tournament, why we have the foundation at all. We want to serve the special needs community in honor of Max and share our love for him with others. Surprising Jaxson with that bike, like everything else we do through the foundation, felt extremely personal and special.
When this mission took shape years ago, we knew we wanted to go back to where our story as special needs parents began: the Northside Hospital Forsyth NICU. The foundation has given a healthy contribution to the Miracle Babies Fund every year to support NICU families with the unplanned expenses that incur during their babies’ stays. Thanks to the generosity of our amazing supporters, we’ve given $70,000 since 2018. This year, our fifth year of contributing, we felt the urge to go big. We surprised representatives from the NICU and Miracle Babies on stage at Max’s Moon Run with a check for $30,000, taking our total contribution within five years to $100,000. It was a huge, emotional moment. We’re still amazed that we were able to contribute so much, and we know we have many to thank.
The truth is, we’ve never had financial goals for the Maximus Janton Foundation. That may sound weird, but it’s true. Running this foundation is heavy enough, we’ve never wanted the pressure of money to take away from our intention. We host our events and trust that whatever we raise is exactly what we need. We see donations come in through our website and we’re continuously astonished by the generosity and thoughtfulness of others. We are so grateful to our supporters who enable us to serve with Max at the forefront of all we do. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
One of my favorite parts of Max’s Moon Run is seeing some of the same faces each year, faces I recognize only from this event. Mr. Jim, Patricia, Nancy…so many people have attended the run all three years. Many of them are avid runners who participate in 5ks together every weekend and we’re honored that they add Max’s Moon Run to their calendar. They told me they’ve learned a lot about Max over the years. They take interest in him and our mission. Even more, these new friends of mine, they call me “Max’s mom.” These new friends are keepers.
The booths at Max’s Moon Run were a hit! Thank you to Mint Juleps, Get Stacked Beads, Washburn Authentic Woodworks, and Janton Custom Works. Huge thanks also to our beloved Gwinnett Church for providing fun activities for kids and for the face painters with The Off Centered Project who added an artsy touch to tons of faces (including mine).
We were so happy to have The Geeks, a local cover band, on stage all night, and enjoyed yummy eats from Tacos & Tequilas and Black Market BBQ food trucks, and sweet treats from Rita’s, including free ice cream for the Fun Run participants. Chick Fil A- Moore Road also donated gift cards to all the Fun Run kids.
Max’s Moon Run was fueled by some super special sponsors. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to Syfan Logistics, Iron Tribe Fitness, Ashley & Kale Self, the Tieslau family, the Nash and Faulkner families, and Life Life Counseling. Thank you also to TJ Simmons with Sweet Home Georgia Realty for donating bananas for our 5k finishers and to Gwinnett Church for the in-kind water donations.
Huge round of applause to Anthony Wilkens, owner and trainer at Aspire Personal Training for Women. This amazing guy led our warm-up and will be back again next year- yay!
Great thanks also go to Amy Doherty with the City of Suwanee, as well as her staff and the Suwanee police officers who worked our event.
By all standards (well, maybe not weather), the event exceeded our expectations. I’m so happy to share that together we raised $20,000 for the Maximus Janton Foundation! We’re blown away by this number and are making big plans for our upcoming year.
We will continue sharing Max’s name and legacy and loving on the special needs community for as long as we live. Max’s Moon Run is such a great opportunity for us to be seen and shared and we acknowledge all who helped us pull it off. Thank you so much to everyone who registered for this year’s Moon Run, to all who promoted the event on social media, to all who sent encouraging texts, to those who participated virtually, to all who pray for us – we appreciate you in the most indescribable way.
Since losing Max, we wake with an invisible brick on our hearts each morning, the weight of which increases, depending on the day. Please know that when you say Max’s name, when you share a memory of him, when you acknowledge our sweet boy and honor him through his foundation, you are simultaneously lifting a bit of that brick, helping us focus on love instead of loss. Thank you. You are pushing us and this little foundation along. Our gratitude knows no bounds.
We always knew Max was a wonder. It’s no wonder his foundation is, too.
The magic continues.
