Thank you to all of our friends, family and people we had never met for being part of the 1st Annual Willy’s Wings Walk/Run on Saturday May 3, 2008.

The day was a great success and I was speechless, which for those of you that know me that does not happen very often. It left me with a great sense of pride as I watched Willy and my dream become a reality. This is dream that we will be able to share together forever. Willy’s Wings has taken flight and we are excited of the opportunities that lie ahead.

The morning was cold but that did not keep you from coming out to support us and that is a great feeling. The day started off early with registration, memories shared, tears shed, visiting with old friends and making new ones. A great group of people there to support a wonderful cause.

To kick off the event, our daughters, Anna (22), Ashley (17), Brianne (12), Willy’s mom Jane, sister Dee, brother Doug and 2 nieces, Dani and Jordan, along with myself, released 68 black balloons toWilly in heaven. With Black being the color to represent Melanoma, this was done to raise awareness and represent the fact that every 68 minutes someone in the United States dies of Melanoma. This is a very scary statistic and to think this is only one of them.

We will continue to educate the public and promote awareness of Melanoma, also know as The Beast. As a group we will make a difference and that is something that we can all be proud of. Please keep checking in on us as we are already planning our next event.

I would like to say a very special thank you to my board – Ben Davis, Gene Schmidt, Kari Dill, Kevin Ostlie, Lesley Soine and Vickie Schmidt - for your time and dedication to make our dream become a reality. You took the time out of your already very busy schedules to put this all together and I am very proud to say – WE DID IT!

To all of our sponsors thank you for your support – we couldn’t have done it without you. Special thanks also to Lake Agassiz Pacers and EVAC for their help the day of the event and Barb Casperson with Gate City Bank for her help the entire week of the event.

And finally the thank yous that are closest to my heart – To God for being my rock through this entire journey and helping me find purpose in His ultimate plan. To our three beautiful daughters, for their courage to help carry on their dad/step-dad’s memory and for their incredible unconditional love for me!

And most importantly, to my wonderful husband, soul mate and best friend Willy, who has given me the courage and strength to take a bad situation and turn it into something positive. Because of the love we shared and the amazing man you were, you taught me to be a survivor and make the most of what God gives us. You taught us all how to live and how to die and to take nothing for granted. Your legacy will live on forever because of who you were as a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a friend, a true disciple of our Lord and Savior.

Willy’s Wings is dedicated to you with so much love and through it we will make a difference and your memory will live on forever. Loving you today, tomorrow and forever!

MEN PLACE # NAME TIME 1 90 JOHN SIMONSON 0:41:24 2 76 DARIN GROSS 0:42:21 3 63 ROGER MILLER 0:42:25 4 49 RICK CRUME 0:45:19 5 51 RYAN EDWARDS 0:51:27 6 50 DOYLE EDWARDS 0:51:27 7 43 NOAH BARTNICLE 0:52:33 8 86 COLE BACHMEIER 0:56:22 9 47 BART CAHILL 0:57:13 10 89 DAVID NOAH 0:57:16 11 57 VERNON KIBBLE 0:57:39 12 83 WADE ERICKSON 0:59:30 13 85 STEVE ROESLER 0:59:57 14 64 DANA MOGCK 1:04:26 WOMEN PLACE # NAME TIME 1 72 ANNIE VOGEL-CIERNIA 0:46:35 2 87 ANDREA LYONS 0:47:01 3 71 THERESE VOGEL 0:47:18 4 44 TARAH BJOREM 0:49:54 5 55 ANDREA HANSON 0:50:02 6 42 SHANNON BARTNICLE 0:52:34 7 58 JAMIE KRABBENHOFT 0:52:59 8 62 MICHELLE MEHLING 0:52:59 9 80 ANNIE WILCOX 0:53:04 10 74 ANN FORSEY 0:57:07 11 73 KRISTY WAGAR 0:57:08 12 88 TELLINDALEE BECK-KING 0:57:15 13 68 LESLEY SOINE 0:57:39 14 81 ALLISON WOLF 0:57:49 15 61 AMANDA McKINNON 0:58:07 16 75 STEPHANIE FISCHER 0:58:30 17 77 KRISTI BROOKS 0:59:25 18 82 KRISTIN ERICKSON 0:59:29 19 60 CASEY McAFEE 0:59:45 20 52 MAGGIE EPPLER 0:59:53 21 67 NICOLE SCHELL 1:00:48 22 41 KRISTI ANDERSON 1:00:57 23 53 CHRIS FEICKERT 1:01:14 24 84 KERSTIN KEALY 1:04:25 25 66 JENNIFER ORTH 1:06:52

Special Thanks to our Sponsors!