Ainsley's Angels inspired to push through Gate River Run

The national charity raises awareness for those with special needs

Submitted photo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There's a group of people you'll see in the Gate River Run on Saturday that you'll definitely want to cheer on. Ainsley's Angels is focused on raising awareness for those with special needs. 

It's a national charity with a truly amazing chapter here on the First Coast. It was started by a dad who pushed his special needs daughter, Ainsley, in a wheelchair through dozens of races like the Gate. Now, other parents and volunteers are doing the same and continuing the legacy. We had a chance to talk to two moms who tell us this has been life-changing for their kids. 

Recommended Videos



Kim Hetrick introduced us to her 22-year-old son, Jake, who was born with cerebral palsy. 

"In 2013, my brother asked to push Jake in a 5K," Hetrick told us. "When he came across the finish line and I saw the look of joy on Jake's face and to see him part of a team, it was really powerful." 

That's why later that year when Jake turned 16, they bought a top-of-the-line running chair. Hetrick said it changed their lives. 

"We get to get out of the house and he loves to move. It gives him freedom and a sense of mobility that he's not used to," Hetricks said. "Every morning when he wakes up, he tells me faster. That's to let me know he wants to go for a run." 

It's a similar story for Candice Samples Morris and her 8-year-old daughter, Evie. Six years ago, she was diagnosed with Rett syndrome.

"It is a (neurological) disorder that has affected her ability to walk and speak and use her hands," Morris explained. 

Evie and Candice just finished a big run at Disney World in Orlando. Thinking about the moment they crossed the finish line brought Candice to tears. 

"This weekend was really emotional," Morris told us. "Two weeks prior, we lost one of our other girls with Rett that is from Florida."

Candice and Evie will be thinking about the family of that young girl when they run the Gate River Run and every race they take part in moving forward.  

"It just reinforces that we are going to keep doing this," Morris said. "We are going to keep running for them and push them and we are going to keep moving our feet forward. Because for every child that can't, we can." 

There are a lot of young men and women with special needs on the First Coast that have the special running chairs, but they don't have a runner to push them. They need volunteers, even for the upcoming Gate River Run. If you can help, go to their website for details.