Denea Kaup created her group “Jedis for Hope” to bring together family and friends at Good Grief’s 5K Run and Walk for Hope in honor of her late husband, Matt Kaup. The annual event raises funds and awareness to help children, teens, and young adults after the death of a mom, dad, brother, or sister. The Kaups are one of the 376 families—representing nearly 900 individuals—that receive free, unlimited support from Good Grief.
Denea’s husband, Matt, died suddenly in August 2018 leaving her and her two kids, Haley and Ethan. The Kaup family’s support system acted quickly after Matt’s death, sending Denea information about Good Grief’s free programs and the Kaup family started attending Good Grief’s Nights of Support shortly after Matt’s death. After her first night, Denea knew that the program would help her family navigate this devastating loss. She reflected. “We are so happy Good Grief is there for us. My son, Ethan, is a very shy kid but Good Grief is the one place he willingly runs out of the house for! He counts down the days until he can go back.” Grief can be an extremely isolating experience, especially for children. On Nights of Support, kids at Good Grief are surrounded by peers that truly understand them. 8-year-old Ethan chimed in, “You can trust anybody in your group, and you can tell them whatever you want. I actually feel like it’s okay to talk about my dad.”
Good Grief’s 6th Annual 5K Run and Walk for Hope will be held at Giralda Farms in Madison, NJ, on Sunday, June 2, 2019. It is a fun, family-friendly event with over 1,200 participants. The event is an opportunity for the community to support friends and families, while empowering grieving families to honor their loved ones who have died and to support the organization that helped them through their loss.
Runners, walkers, and teams of local businesses, civic groups, schools, and families participate in either a 5K run or 2-mile family-friendly walk through the beautiful Giralda Farms complex. Teams spend months fundraising, creating t-shirts, and decorating banners.
Denea is proud to be part of Good Grief and to be working with her team of friends and family to fundraise for the organization. “The 5K gives our friends and family an opportunity to honor Matt in a positive way and to give back to the organization that has been there for us from the beginning,” she said. The Kaups’ team will be wearing their own t-shirts, and Ethan is excited to wear a special hat that he decorated during his Nights of Support at Good Grief.
For more information on the event, and to volunteer, register or become a sponsor, visit www.good-grief.org/5K.
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Good Grief is respected as a national leader in delivering grief services to children and their families. It is the leading provider of these services in New Jersey serving over 1,000 children since its founding in 2004. Good Grief is a registered 501(c) (3) tax-exempt non-profit organization whose mission is to provide unlimited free support to children, teens and families after the death of a parent or sibling. Servicing more than 150 communities, we operate programs in Morristown, Princeton, Jersey City, and Newark. For more information about Good Grief, please visit our web site www.good-grief.org.