SAUGUS — Robert MacIsaac will host the first-ever Sweet Sadie’s Walk, Run, Ride 5K to raise money for muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and frontotemporal dementia research at Breakheart Reservation this Sunday.
MacIsaac, who is originally from Lynn, founded the Sweet Sadie’s Difference Makers nonprofit in honor of his sister Sarah MacIsaac, a disability-rights advocate who died of muscular dystrophy in 2020.
“She was a pillar in the Lynn community,” Robert MacIsaac said. “She had muscular dystrophy and was in a wheelchair, but she didn’t let it define her.”
Starting out as a North Shore Community College scholarship fund, Sweet Sadie’s now holds annual benefit concerts at the Lynn Nights of Columbus, in which two $1,500 scholarships are awarded to recipients who are either disabled or in need.
This year’s 5K, Robert MacIsaac said, will feature refreshments, raffles, and T-shirts for sale. He said he chose to hold the 5K at Breakheart Reservation as an homage to his sister, who used to volunteer there. Robert MacIsaac said the fundraising takes on a personal element for him because, in addition to his sister, he lost two family members to ALS and his mother currently has FTD.
“I hope we do well so we can try our best to help combat these awful diseases that have taken so much from our family,” he said.
Those interested in attending the fundraiser can register for Sunday’s event online at www.sweetsadie.org or in-person at 10 a.m. Registration costs $30. The 5K will begin at 11 a.m. and the event will last until 3 p.m.
Sponsors can donate $100 to be featured on the Sweet Sadie’s Difference Makers website and social-media pages, $200 to be printed on the T-shirts for sale, and $300 for a social-media shoutout, a place on the T-shirts, and a sign along the route.
