Miles for Maddie thank you

To the Editor:

Six months ago, I started training to run the ING Hartford Marathon in Hartford, Connecticut to raise money for a childhood friend and her family who have a special needs child, Maddie.

They needed to install an elevator in their house to get her up and downstairs and insurance was not going to cover it.

On October 13, I started and finished the 26.2-mile course, and every mile was for Maddie. I would like to thank everyone who helped make this day a success. Thank you Matt, Missy, and Mason Hammond for your blessings to raise money for Maddie.

Thank you Maddie for being the beautiful child that you are, you have brought so much happiness to so many people. Thank you Cherri Crockett for writing an excellent story that helped draw attention to a worthwhile cause. Thank you to all who donated money either in person or at the Oxford Federal Credit Union. There are names that I do not even recognize which speaks volumes about the citizens of the River Valley communities when it is time to pull together.

Thank you Aaron Perreault for keeping me on my feet, whether it was on top of a mountain or in the office. Thank you Leroy Henry Varnum, Jr., the Treadwells, and Carriers for keeping it real. And last but not least thank you to my wife, Angela and daughter, Alexa for putting up with me through six months of training. Their focus and dedication kept me grounded.

Through the efforts of everyone mentioned above, we raised $3,302.23.

Silver K. Varnum,

Dixfield