For the Julie Run, It's About More than a Name

Saturday's at Walled Lake Northern High School may be Julie LeBlanc's namesake, but she's been so much more than a simple figurehead to the 18-year-old fundraiser.

As head of the race committee, LeBlanc has been the key organizer and driving force behind the fundraiser since its inception, taking on several roles to help support Open Door Outreach Center of Waterford, the race's beneficiary.

Securing sponsors, lining the race path with signs and serving as the lead cheerleader for runners are all tasks — official and unofficial — that LeBlanc has embodied to guarantee the race's success and, more importantly, to benefit those in need.

"I'm going to be 80 this year, and I'm proud to say that," said LeBlanc, who lives in West Bloomfield. "But I think it's time someone else takes over before it gets to the point that I can't do it physically.

"I'll still be there and encouraging people to do and donate for the Julie Run, but it takes a lot of effort," she said.

While the event's profile has risen through the years, much like the amount of dollars it generates, Saturday's run will be the last with LeBlanc in charge. Turning 80 on July 31, she is stepping down to better focus on her family and help ease the transition to a new regime in charge of the run. 

While whoever does take over LeBlanc's role will have big — or massive — shoes to fill, he or she will have LeBlanc as a great guide in how to keep the tradition of the run going strong. 

"After the first event was over, the board decided, 'Let's call it the Julie Run,' and it's been that ever since," LeBlanc said. "It's gotten to be pretty well-known in the area. Over the last three years, I can say the Julie Run has brought in over $75,000."

While she will take a step back from the duties she normally filled during the past 18 years, LeBlanc has high hopes that the run will continue to thrive and support Open Door in the future.

"I've put a lot of work and effort into this, but so have so many other people — some who've been there just as long," LeBlanc said. "My hope is that with me stepping down, the Julie Run can continue and maybe even raise more money than we have in the past."

In its 31st year, Open Door Outreach Center has evolved from a one-year promised deal at St. Patrick Catholic Church in White Lake to a three-decade-strong practice of providing food, clothes and financial support to those in need at 7170 Cooley Lake Rd. in Waterford. 

And while Open Door does receive financial support from local businesses and grants, roughly 37 percent of its donations come from individuals — most of which is donated through the Julie Run. 

It's an organization LeBlanc has been involved with since the beginning, and it has helped feed her hunger for helping others. 

"I served on the very first Board of Trustees for the Open Door, and that's how I continued to be involved," LeBlanc said. "It's like a snowball effect … so it was just natural for me to be involved in this way."

Online registrations at opendooroutreachcenter.com may be entered with Visa or Mastercard, or registration form may be printed out and mailed with payment if preferred. Participants are eligible for prize drawings as well as for three-level medal awards in each age division for both male and female winners. Canned food donations are accepted on race day to help fill the pantry at Open Door.

Registration costs $20 in advance or $25 on race day. Participants who submit $50 in pledges may register for free.