Raising Sickle Cell Awareness 1 Mile At A Time! Annual 1K/5K Walk, Jog or Run for a Cure!

What?

Grab your family and friends and Lets get active and Raise Sickle Cell Awareness One-Mile at a Time! 

The Sickle Cell Disease Association of Illinois (SCDAI) invites you, your family & friends to join us in raising awareness and funding for individuals in Illinois dealing with the daily struggles of Sickle Cell Disease! Join us during Sickle Cell Awareness Month in Chicago, Alton or Peoria, IL for the Annual “Raising Sickle Cell Awareness 1 Mile At A Time fundraiser presented by the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Illinois (SCDAI). We need your partnership and support. In recognition of 53 years in the community providing services to individuals with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and their families, our participant/team goal is to raise $50,000 and our sponsorship goal is to raise twice that amount at $100,000! This is the 52nd Annual Walk in Chicago, the 14th Annual Walk in Alton, IL & the 2nd annual Walk in Peoria, IL. In good times or bad, come rain or shine, thousands of people in Illinois suffering from sickle cell disease are depending on SCDAI for counseling, advocacy and other programs and support services. 

Register to receive your 2026 event t-shirt. We will begin registration and FUNdraising now through SEPTEMBER which is Sickle Cell Awareness month.  Please help us by getting the word out and gearing up to either walk, jog or run in support of individuals living with Sickle Cell Disease while honoring individuals who have passed away from the Disease!

Why?

Sickle Cell Disease affects more than 100,000 Americans of all different racial and ethnic backgrounds, including, Africans, Arabians, Israelis, Greeks, Italians, Hispanics, and Turks.  Chances are that many of us know someone who has sickle cell disease, sickle cell trait, or an abnormal hemoglobin trait.

Sickle Cell disease (anemia) is diagnosed at birth and caused by genetically inheriting two sickle genes, one from each parent. Individuals with Sickle Cell disease have sickle hemoglobin that makes the red blood cells rigid and causes some red blood cells to take on a sickle shape. Some symptoms associated with Sickle Cell disease are: anemia, infections, severe pain episodes, strokes, growth and puberty delay, and acute chest syndrome.

The average lifespan for persons with sickle disease isn’t known, but it has improved due to increased treatment therapies.  Bone marrow transplants are a cure for Sickle Cell Anemia, but every individual with Sickle Cell Anemia is not a candidate for this procedure.

Who?

For 55 years, the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Illinois has worked in the community to improve the quality of life for individuals with sickle cell disease and their families. This is our largest fundraising event of the year. Typically we have families and supporters from across the State of Illinois join us. Now is the time to commit to your fitness goals while raising money for a worthwhile charitable, 501c3 organization. 100% of the proceeds are from all our events are tax-deductible and will go directly to fund programs that provide direct support services to individuals with sickle cell, as well as awareness, education, and advocacy for the community.

When?

Sickle Cell Awareness Month (September)!

Saturday September 19th, 2026 

1. Register to participate individually or as a team and set your teams fundraising goal to raise between now-September 30, 2026.

2. Join us on Saturday September 19th, 2026 in Chicago. If you are looking to register for the Alton or Peoria location it will require a separate registration to participate (send us a email to sicklecelldiseaseillinois@gmail.com subject sickle cell walk), have fun and receive your t-shirt/giveaways. Check-In begins at 9AM CST and the Race begins at 10AM CST.

3. Put on your event t-shirt, begin walking, running or jogging and PLEASE take some photos to share with us (Please note if you share your photos with us we will be sharing them via social media and email to show everyone how we all came together in Illinois for our families with Sickle Cell Disease to raise awareness, funding, and support!) You can share photos with us by:

• Emailing them to sicklecelldiseaseillinois@gmail.com
• Posting and tagging your photos to the SCDAI Facebook (@scdaillinois), Instagram (scdai), twitter (@scdaillinois) page using the hashtag #SCDAIWalkJogBike4ACure2026

Where

Hayes (Francis) Park 2936 W. 85th St. Chicago, IL 60652

What is the cost?

$40 donation per individual ages 5 and over (includes event t-shirt)

Join fellow runners on September 19, 2026 for the Raising Sickle Cell Awareness 1 Mile At A Time! Annual 1K/5K Walk, Jog or Run for a Cure!. It's a fantastic 1K, 5K featuring a flat and fast course in Chicago.