Angel Run Raises Funds for Pediatric Brain Cancer
Runners and walkers gathered on Cincinnati's West Side to support brain cancer research through The Cure Starts Now.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Philanthropy
Runners and walkers took part in the Angel Run on Saturday morning at Kuliga Park on Cincinnati's West Side. The event benefits The Cure Starts Now, a Cincinnati-based organization that funds pediatric brain cancer research, with a goal of raising $70,000.
Why it matters
The event supports research into pediatric brain cancers, which Cincinnati residents can directly contribute to through local participation. It also keeps attention on a family-founded local effort rooted in personal loss.
The event aims to raise $70,000 for pediatric brain cancer research, a goal set by The Cure Starts Now. The extraction does not report how much was raised on Saturday.
The players
The Cure Starts Now
A Cincinnati-based organization founded by Keith and Brooke Desserich that funds pediatric brain cancer research after their daughter Elena died from a brain tumor known as DIPG.
Sophie Meinhardt
A child who died from a rare brain tumor at 18 months old, and in whose memory the Angel Run was started in 2007.
The details
The Angel Run was held Saturday morning at Kuliga Park at 6717 Bridgetown Road, with runners and walkers participating. The Cure Starts Now, founded by Keith and Brooke Desserich after their daughter Elena died from a brain tumor known as DIPG, funds pediatric brain cancer research.
Timeline
The Angel Run began in 2007 in memory of Sophie Meinhardt.
The Angel Run was held Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Kuliga Park.
Market Landscape
The Angel Run follows a pattern of family-founded memorial fundraisers that channel local participation into specific pediatric cancer research, with The Cure Starts Now carrying the effort forward after the Desserichs' loss. The event's 2007 origin places it among long-running community campaigns focused on a single rare disease rather than broad cancer causes.
Residents who want to support the cause can join future Angel Run events or contribute to The Cure Starts Now directly. Participation in organized community runs is one practical way to fund pediatric brain cancer research locally.
The takeaway
Local, family-founded fundraisers can focus community effort on a single rare disease. Readers interested in pediatric brain cancer research can look for organized runs or donation drives in their own area.
Further reading
Explore more local giving stories in Philanthropy coverage across Cincinnati.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Fox19.
