Bri's Run a way to honor fallen friend
<p>Ted Pacheco, Brianne's husband, and their three daughters, Kambrya (left), Siena (center), and Anzley (lower right), all of Cheyenne, Wyo., pose Polson High School after Bri's Run.</p>
POLSON — It is often hard to find the best way to help a friend in need.
This was the dilemma that Casey Emerson faced when her friend Brianne Pacheco was diagnosed with leukemia in January 2013.
Pacheco’s mother, Tammy Deglow, had organized an online auction to raise money for Bri’s husband, Ted, and their three daughters, but Emerson, a friend of Bri’s since their days as classmates at Cherry Valley Elementary School, didn’t have anything to offer them.
“I didn’t really have anything to offer as far as a donation for people to bid on,” Emerson said. “I’m not crafty, I’m not an artist, I’m not great at photography, and I don’t own my own business.”
When Pacheco passed away on June 7, the Polson native’s memorial services were held in Cheyenne, Wyo. where Pacheco and her husband lived.
“Shortly after Bri’s death, I was on Facebook reading the comments on Bri’s page and on the auction’s page, and I realized that Bri’s friends in Cheyenne … were planning a 5K to raise money for Bri’s family,” Emerson said. “Right then, I knew that not only could I organize a 5K in Polson to raise money for Bri’s family, but I could also incorporate a memorial tribute to Bri [in Polson].”
Emerson organized a couple of friends she could rely on, Abbi Dooley and Christine Winebrenner Irick, to help organize the event.
Bri’s Run, held at Polson High School last Saturday morning, attracted 93 registrants and helped to raise over $4,600 for Bri’s husband and daughters. It also gave Pacheco’s Polson contingent, several high school friends and community members, a way to celebrate and remember their friend. A number of Bri’s family members participated as well, including Deglow, her husband, Ted, their daughters, Kambrya, Siena and Anzley, and Bri’s sister, Brooke.
“The entire event was such an awesome way to honor Bri. … It was a tremendous success both in terms of raising money for Bri’s family and in terms of honoring our dear friend and classmate,” Emerson said.
Bri’s Run’s organizers set up a bank account that is still accepting donations for “another week or two,” according to Emerson. Donations can be mailed to Community Bank c/o Abbi Dooley PO Box B Ronan, MT 59864 or given in person at the Community Bank locations in Polson, Pablo, Ronan, or Missoula.