June 6, 2008
Washington, D.C. -
Race application in PDF Format 
Former Georgetown University men's lacrosse player Andrew Baird (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) wanted to find a way to keep busy at the end of his senior year. He had some job interviews lined up, and he knew his parents would have more than enough yard work for him to do, but along the way, he found something that began to occupy more of his time.
For the last five years, Baird, his parents and his brothers and sisters have joined other family members in New Jersey on Father's Day. There, the contingent takes part in the Run for Dad, a Tribute to Frank Simms, Baird's uncle. The race will be held this year on Sunday, June 15, in Mercer County Park in West Windsor, N.J.
Unlike years prior, when he would just run the 5K (3.1 mile) portion of the event, this year Baird wanted to do more. His uncle started the race with a friend of his in 2002 to help raise awareness for prostate cancer. Entries to the race are based on donations to the American Cancer Society, so Baird decided to do a fundraiser on his own, setting a goal to raise as much money as he could for the ACS.
Baird's parents, Lou and Craiganne, had made the trip to Mercer County Park during the first two years the event was held, in 2002 and 2003, but when Andrew's uncle passed away on February 2, 2004, it became an event for the entire family.
"We were involved with it on a smaller level when it first started, but once he passed away, it became a family thing," Baird said. "My dad is one of nine kids and we have a lot of cousins, so it was a natural for all of us to gather together for this every year."
Baird was very close to his Uncle Frank and wore a wrist band with his initials stitched on it throughout his playing career with the Hoyas. He also had the date of his uncle's passing inscribed on his stick. One thing he wanted to do was to have any donation made be done so in the name of Georgetown Men's Lacrosse.
"He was just such a great guy to be around," Baird said, "and I wanted to do something to honor him, something that could have an impact for other people."
Baird asked that donations be made in the name of Georgetown Men's Lacrosse. He was able to secure e-mail addresses of his teammates parents and sent word through them. Then news of the fundraiser spread during the Hoyas' post-game tailgate parties, home and away. With a week left before the start of the race, he has raised around $1,500, a figure that he's more than happy with.
"It's been a pretty good experience for me," Baird said. "I never had done anything like this before, and it's been a lot of work, just in terms of keeping things organized, but it's been very rewarding."
Baird said the most rewarding aspect for him was the reaction he received from his Aunt Dorothy, Frank's wife, when he told her he was going to run a fundraiser in his honor. He said that he's looking forward to the reaction he'll get when she finds out how much money he has raised.
"When I told her what I was doing initially, she was pretty surprised and pretty happy about it," Baird said. "I haven't told her what I've raised, but I'm looking forward to her reaction when we go up to New Jersey next week."
The Run for Dad: A Tribute to Frank Simms will be held on Sunday, June 15 in Mercer County Park in West Windsor, N.J. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the 5K run and two-mile walk begins at 9 a.m. A Kids' Run for Dad will begin at 9:45 a.m.
If you are interested in making a donation to the American Cancer Society through the Run for Dad: A Tribute to Frank Simms, please e-mail Andrew Baird at alb54@georgetown.edu. A race application can be downloaded by clicking here.
