Behrman Run raises money for Jill’s House, scholarship

Jill Behrman was what her mother Marilyn Behrman called a “typical college student.”

“She changed her major every time she registered,” Behrman said. “She had some things to figure out, but she was headed in the right direction. She had a great future ahead of her.”

That future was cut tragically short. Jill Behrman disappeared in May 2000, and her remains were found in March 2003.

In her memory, the Jill Behrman Run for the End Zone was formed.

With about $8,000 in earnings last year, this year’s Jill Behrman Run for the End Zone, set to take place Saturday, looks to raise twice as much.

“I think that’s amazing,” Marilyn Behrman said, “especially all these years later. Most of the students on campus didn’t know Jill. I think it’s really amazing. I see that the students want to be involved, not just in volunteer work, but in life in general.”

This year’s run will include 65 teams. These campus organizations plan to participate in the 5K run or one-mile walk. More than 1,250 people have already registered for the run this year, compared to last year’s total of 1,101.

The event took months of work and planning to organize.

“We started in the beginning of the summer looking for sponsors,” said Anne McElherne, lead graphic designer and residential hall team coordinator for the event. “Then, after finding sponsors, we started putting together a lot of the marketing materials and trying to get team information out there.”

The funds raised by the event will go toward the Jill Behrman Emerging Leader Scholarship and Jill’s House, an organization that provides housing for patients undergoing outpatient therapy at the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute in Bloomington.

The run is sponsored by 22 organizations, including IU Athletics, the IU Alumni Association, the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute, the Student Recreational Sports Association and T.I.S. College Bookstore. The sponsors have provided monetary donations as well as food and services, McElherne said.

The event will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday with registration, she said. An emcee will be walking around raffling off prizes.

Speakers for the event will include Eric and Marilyn Behrman and Mike Baxter, a current MPRI patient who currently lives at Jill’s House.

There are still ways to get involved, including volunteering or registering to run on race day. Those who do not want to run can donate $20 to become Spirit Supporters.

For information about registration and volunteering, the official Web site for the Run is www.iurecsports.org/jbrez. For more information on Jill’s House and the Jill Behrman Emerging Leader Scholarship, go to www.jills-house.org or www.iurecsports.org/node/247.

“Everybody’s just excited about this opportunity to do something good,” Marilyn Behrman said.