Jayne Whiteside has run six marathons – the last one in 2000. She’s lacing up her running shoes again, preparing for the Denver Marathon Oct. 14. This time, Whiteside is running for a cause – and her mom.Whiteside is $100 short of the $1,800 entry fee required for her to run in the Denver Marathon as a team member of the Rocky Mountain Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The entry fee supports the Rocky Mountain LLS projects and programs. In return for their efforts to raise the fee, team members have access to running coaches and scheduled practice runs.”What won me over to raise money and run for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is that not only do they fund much needed research but they also directly help cancer patients,” Whiteside said. “They also help those who are uninsured and also help out with paying for drugs that are not covered under regular insurance or Medicare/Medicaid. They also offer support groups.”Whiteside said she is grateful for the support they’ve given her mother – 73-year-old Mary Gail Abernathy of Rochester, Minn.In December 2006, doctors diagnosed Abernathy with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society helped her with travel expenses to and from her appointments. “This may not sound like a lot, but it is a huge deal to someone who is 73 years old and lives on a fixed income,” Whiteside said. Her mother is doing well, she added. “She just kept telling me that this was a bump in the road; I thought it was more like a big hill.”The big hill is now Whiteside’s to conquer. And hills are it. Besides the Denver Marathon, she is eyeing the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco Oct. 21. The LLS is the sole beneficiary of the Nike run.Falcon’s Frankie’s Too is assisting Whiteside with the last leg of her fundraising efforts for the Denver Marathon. On July 28, Frankie’s Too is hosting a silent auction from 6 to 9 p.m. The items up for auction range from a weekend for two – lodging and meals included – at the Horn Creek Conference Center in Westcliffe, Colo., to a teeth whitening certificate to local merchant gift certificates. Whiteside said there will be plenty of affordable auction items.And plenty of fun and food.In between bids, auction fans and others can opt for Frankie’s prime rib special. Dance off the calories to live music by “That Band.”Frank Patton, owner of Frankie’s Too, has been involved in community projects since he opened Frankie’s Bar & Grill on Powers Boulevard over 24 years ago. He’s keeping the tradition at Frankie’s Too, which opened three years ago – the first modern-day watering hole in Falcon. “I have a good team and a wonderful staff who support our commitments,” Patton said. “We’re reaching out to many people and making a difference. I’m proud that we have been a part of raising funds for those in need and nonprofit charities over the years.”Their motto from the last event was “together we made a difference.””I think that says it all,” Patton said.Whiteside said everyone is welcome to the auction. She is still looking for silent auction items, too. If any other business owners are interested in donating items to the silent auction, contact Jayne Whiteside at 719-495-0331.
