Katie's Wish Foundation
The Katie’s Wish Foundation was formed in October 2012, after the passing of my best friend, Katie McBurnett. Katie received a heart transplant in 2007, and after her passing, the Katie’s Wish Foundation was born.
We work to provide scholarships for people who have received organ transplants through our event, the Katie McBurnett 5K/10K, which we hold once a year in Columbus, Indiana. We also coordinate the Cough Buddy program to provide Cough Buddy bears for area hospitals, as well as individuals who could benefit from a bear.
To date, we have awarded $5,000 worth of scholarships, and have donated over 325 Cough Buddy bears.
2019 Katie McBurnett 5K & 10K
Because we offer two distances, we offer two different shirt colors for the events. 2019's shirts were two shades of green.
2019 was a very exciting year for us, because for the first time, we were able to offer finisher medals for both distances! This is something we have worked toward since the beginning of our events in 2013, and in 2019, the sponsorship money we received allowed us to have finisher medals. I chose to do the same medal for each distance, with different neck ribbons for each race.
For 2019's brochure and race flyer, I wanted to include some bold graphics and icons. This is usually the first thing I design for a race season, because I have to get them printed and distributed to area businesses early in the year. Green is the color for organ donation, so all of our designed materials feature the color green very prominently. This year, I chose to start adding the "How Our Races Help" panel on the inside of the brochure to really illustrate how we give back to our communities.
Before the race starts, we take a moment to award the Katie McBurnett Memorial Scholarship. In 2019, we were lucky enough to award two $1,000 scholarships to organ transplant recipients.
Final Thoughts
Without my knowledge of graphic design, there is no way the Katie's Wish Foundation would be where it is today. I am able to create everything we need, from a website, to stunning race materials, and even some pretty cool t-shirts.
