Hot Lips Hustle 5K Helps Raise Funds

Hot Lips Hustle 5K founder Ryan Ernstes, with a young race participant

Most of us take our ability to open and close our mouths, eat, and smile for granted. One in 700 babies are born with cleft lip and palate defects (splitting) that not only deform their faces and make eating difficult, but lead to them being shunned and even abandoned.

A local East Cobb girl has found a funway to help these children.

The founder of the Hot Lips Hustle 5K, Ryan Ernstes, who began her own life with a series of grueling surgeries to correct her cleft lip, says, “I realized how lucky I was to have parents who could pay for my surgery.”

So, at the age of 12, generous-hearted Ryan decided to help those with cleft lips and no money for the corrective operations.

She and her mom devised the catchy name for the race and; her crosscountry coaches and classmates from The Walker School helped promote the event.

Ryan’s seventh annual race on September 17 is your chance to help this enterprising Furman University pre-med student: she’s already funded a total of 147 surgeries by The Smile Train, a global non-profit (www.smiletrain.org).

Ryan chose them “because most of their proceeds go toward actual surgeries and they train local doctors.”

Ryan is being recognized for this unique fundraising event by becoming a finalist in a Ladies Home Journal volunteerism contest. Seehttp://www.wetv.com/we-volunteer-awards/index.php and help her out by voting! (EDITOR’S NOTE: Voting  is now closed, but click the link to view the list of nominees)

Rain or shine, the Hot Lips Hustle 5K race is September 17, 2011. Pre-register through www.hotlipshustle5k.com for $17 until September 7, or pay $22 thereafter. You can even show up and register on race day.

Ryan encourages all types of people to come: runners, walkers, those who have never done a 5K before.

She says, “It’s a lot of fun!”

Support children’s smiles: Run in the Hot Lips Hustle 5K on September 17. Bring the whole family, even the dog! There are 86 possible running trophies, even three “top dog” trophies!

Ryan said, “We are big dog lovers.”

In fact, she added, “We had 50 dogs last year.” All participating dogs get medals. Plus, whether fast or slow, each human could win something from the raffle.

The race location is Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Marietta, at 2922 Sandy Plains Road in East Cobb. Arrive at 7:30am.: the flat 5K race up and down Ebenezer Road starts at 8am. Come help children with this birth defect to smile!

(Reprinted from the September 2011 issue of EAST COBBER.)