Updated February 22, 2021
Thank you for your continued support! As we continue to follow the news relative to Covid-19 and the current restrictions, we are now hoping to hold an event in September, rather than May. While there is still much uncertainty as to what this event may look like with the restrictions at that time, there will be an event in Colleen’s honor. Whether we see you in-person or virtually in September, we encourage you to keep Colleen’s legacy alive and spread kindness!
Updated December 20, 2020
We hope you and your family are all safe, healthy and practicing social distancing!
We continue to follow the news relative to Covid 19 and the current restrictions. Although hope is on the way now that the vaccine is beginning to be administered, we are still unsure as to when in 2021 road races will be able to begin. We have reserved our May date, however, we do realize that it is unlikely that our event will be able to be held at full capacity at that time. As a backup plan, we are reserving a Fall date where we can hold our event at full capacity and if not, we will consider a virtual event or hopefully a mix of in-person and virtual depending on gathering limits.
We will do our best to keep you up to date on our plans. Thank you for your patience and your continued support.
Updated April 2, 2020
We hope you and your family are all safe, healthy and practicing social distancing!
A few weeks ago, we reached out to you regarding the postponement of the 7th Annual Step Up for Colleen 5K Walk/Run. As the pandemic continues to affect all of our lives, we realize that this is not only a socially difficult time, but also a financially difficult time for many. For these reasons, we have made the heart-wrenching decision to cancel the 7th Annual Step Up for Colleen.
As difficult a decision as it was to cancel our event and not gather the sea of pink to remember Colleen this year, the health, safety and financial needs of our community are our top priority. With the uncertainty of the pandemic and how long it may last, we believe it would not be appropriate to hold the event and we strongly believe we should focus on healing and supporting the community. While a virtual event was proposed, upon further thought, we have decided not to pursue that option as our event is not just about raising funds for scholarships, it is about bringing the community together in one place to celebrate Colleen’s life and legacy.
Within the next few weeks, we will be in touch to outline your options regarding your paid registration fee. We are working closely with our registration software company, RunSignUp, to send these emails soon, but we ask for your patience while we navigate this.
While this was an extremely hard decision to make, we continue to hold hope that no matter what is happening in the world, Colleen’s legacy will continue to shine bright and we look forward to awarding scholarships this June.
In place of this year’s event, we are organizing a kindness initiative that will take place in May to continue Colleen’s legacy and give the community a reason to smile during these difficult times. This is continuing to evolve and we will share more information soon!
Thank you for your heartfelt support of Colleen, her legacy, our family, and the Step Up for Colleen 5K! We hope to see you all in May 2021!
As Colleen would say, always remember to find the good in every day and be kind to one another.
With gratitude,
Tom, Peggie, Dan & Laura Ritzer
Updated March 16, 2020
We hope you are all staying safe and healthy!
Following the guidance of state officials, the 7th Annual Step Up for Colleen will be postponed to a later date, or if needed, shifted to a virtual event. We are working with town officials to explore alternative dates in the summer or fall. While this has been an extremely difficult decision to make, your health and safety is our top priority. We know that no matter what is happening in the world, Colleen’s legacy will continue to shine bright and we have individuals such as yourself to thank for that. As Colleen would say, always remember to find the good.
Thank you for your continued support of Colleen, our family, the Step Up for Colleen 5K and Colleen’s legacy! As we finalize plans and have more information, we will keep you updated.
Sincerely,
The Ritzer Family
We thank everyone who has already registered for the 7th Annual Step Up for Colleen 5K and those who continue to support Colleen’s legacy each and every day. We are closely monitoring developments regarding the coronavirus situation and collaborating with town officials to ensure a safe and successful event.
As of today, the May 3 Step Up for Colleen 5K Walk/Run will proceed as scheduled. We will continue to monitor updates from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and make decisions based upon their guidance.
As the situation is rapidly changing and progressing, the Committee and Advisory Board are exploring alternative options as a precautionary measure. These options could be a postponement or shift to a virtual event.
With the event only seven weeks away, we are fully prepared to hold if possible and safe to do so. In the event we cannot host the event on May 3rd, we will shift to a virtual event if postponement is not a feasible option. While our hope is to have the sea of pink gather the first Sunday in May as we usually do, we know that Colleen’s legacy will be honored, supported and spread, whether the event is held as usual or virtual.
The Step Up for Colleen 5K Walk/Run continues to be the major fundraiser that supports the Colleen E. Ritzer Memorial Scholarship Fund. Whether the event happens as planned, is postponed or shifted to a virtual event, we ask that you continue to do your part in keeping Colleen’s memory alive and spreading her legacy.
We encourage you to continue to register and invite your family and friends to join you in honoring Colleen.
With our heartfelt gratitude and wishes for your continued safety,
The Ritzer Family
This year’s recipients from Andover High School, Danvers High School and Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School demonstrate a strong desire for helping others and are excited to begin their journey towards their own classroom. Each recipient demonstrated great promise through their high school endeavors from National Honor Societies to participating in extracurricular activities and community service such as Tomorrow’s Teachers and peer mentoring and not only playing, but coaching the sports they love.
Applicants were required to complete an application that requested information such as extra-curricular activities, awards and recognitions and plans for college. They were also asked to submit a 500-word essay describing why they plan to pursue a degree in education and what, or who, inspired them to do so. The last piece of the application encouraged applicants to reflect on words shared by Colleen in her college essay in which she wrote: