Ashley Greis ’10 remembers the frustration she and her two siblings had when their mother left them at all hours of the day to help victims of sexual assault. Greis’ mother was one of the founders of Virginia’s Augusta Regional S.A.N.E. (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) Program. She was on call at all times ready to comfort those who were sexually assaulted.
“She always explained to us that it was okay and that she needed to do this,” Greis commented. “She always would tell us there weren’t enough nurses in this specific field and she had to go.”
In 2010, Greis’ mother passed away suddenly from a heart defect and her family was in shock. Greis wanted to do something powerful to honor her mother and knew that her mother’s passion for the S.A.N.E. Program needed to be recognized.
“Having a business degree obviously didn’t allow me to become a nurse, but I had run in many 5Ks and thought of the idea to start one for my mom,” said Greis. “I talked it over with my family because I knew I would need their help. We had our first 5K last year and it was a big success.”
In its first year, the F.R.O.G. Fight for Justice 5K had over 40 participants and the proceeds raised were used to train five new nurses to be a part of the S.A.N.E. Program. Also, a grant was received to help fund the program.
F.R.O.G. Fight for Justice is a remembrance of Greis’ mother. She collected frog figurines and they were her favorite animal. The acronym F.R.O.G. stands for Forever Remembering Our Girl.
This year, the race takes place Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 at 8 a.m. at Gypsy Hill Park in Staunton, Va. Greis hopes to double the registrants and is focusing her marketing on the three area hospitals where her mother worked along with nurses who could potentially become members of S.A.N.E. The event consists of a 5K where participants can either run or walk followed by a breakfast and a raffle. Last year, Shenandoah alumna Jennie Ott ’11 placed third in the race.
“My mom was very dedicated to this effort so it was nice to be able to do something in honor of her because I knew she would have wanted it,” explained Greis. “It was a very emotional day; we were crying, we were happy, we were sad, but it was good because we knew we got to do something in her honor.”
Registration for the event is open, so if you are interested in participating please visit the site HERE. If you are unable to participate in the event, donations may be made through the donate/sponsor tab.