From left, Bruce, Roxanne, Jack and Max Levinston.

Twelve year-old Jack Levinston says he has been a runner “my whole life.” He also competes in lacrosse, soccer and wrestling. But it was his love for running that inspired him to look for a way he could run in a road race to support a worthy cause for his Bar Mitzvah project. A seventh grader at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School, Jack will have his Bar Mitzvah ceremony on May 11 at Temple Beth-El in Hillsborough.

“I started looking online for races,” he said, “and Matheny just seemed like a good place because it helps people with disabilities. It had the best description of what it does.” Jack will be running the 5K at Miles for Matheny and has set a fundraising goal of $5,000. As of March 15, he had already raised $1,507 from 19 different donors. “We’ve gotten some very generous donations,” he added, pointing out that “100% of the money I raise goes to the Matheny Medical and Educational Center to help people with disabilities.”

The 16th annual Miles for Matheny will be held Sunday, April 21, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack. In addition to the 5K, activities include the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk, five different Cycling routes, a Kids Fun Run and The Friends of Matheny’s “Breakfast of Champions” followed by luncheon refreshments in the park. All funds raised will help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to Matheny inpatients and people with disabilities in communities throughout New Jersey.

Major sponsors are the Poses Family Foundation, title sponsor; Partlow Insurance Agency, Peapack-Gladstone Bank, Porzio Bromberg & Newman, P.C.; Affinity Federal Credit Union; and WCBS-TV and WCBS Newsradio 880.

To find out how you can be part of this fun-filled and uplifting event, log onto www.milesformatheny.org or call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260. To help support Jack Levinston, click on Search For Participant and type in his name.

Jack Levinston