9th Annual Om Memorial 5K Run and 1 Mile Walk

Sign up today to support pediatric cancer research and honor Optimistic Om’s spirit, showing the world that our collective positivity and perseverance can help cure pediatric cancer. 

Additional information can be found at http://www.smilesforom.org.

DATE & LOCATION

Sun May 17, 2026 7:30am
Thompson Park
Thompson Drive and Lakeview Ave, Monroe Township, NJ US 08831

PARKING INFORMATION

• Thompson Park entrances will be open for cars from 7:30am to 8:30am for the participants. Note: Thompson Park entrances will be closed for cars from 8:30am to 10:30am (see instructions below if you arrive after 8:30am or need to leave before 10:30am).
• There will be rangers at the park entrances from Jamesburg (Forsgate Dr) and Perrineville Rd; they will guide you to the parking lot in Thompson Park.
• The gates will re-open for exit from the park ONLY after the 5K Run has completed, around 10:30 am.
• If you arrive after 8:30am when the park entrance is closed for cars or if you need to leave before 10:30am, please park in the Fir Dr parking lots off of Perrineville Rd (near Soccer fields) or in Jamesburg (Railroad Ave area). It is a short walk from those parking lots/ areas to the event area near the Gazebo/ Zoo in Thompson Park.
• Please do NOT park in the High School parking lot.
• Please bring your lawn chairs & blankets.

Organized by Monroe Indians for Civic Action (MICA) and supported by Agraj Seva Kendra, Indian Cultural Association of Monroe (ICAM), Sewa International - Central NJ and Guru Nanak Sikh Heritage.

PROGRAM GUIDE

Click here detailed Program Guide

Time	Event
7:30 am	Registration and T-Shirt / Bib Pick-up
8:00 am	Program starts - Welcome messages (Please bring your lawn chairs & blankets)
8:30 am	Park entrance closes; you can still park in the Fir Dr parking lots off of Perrineville Rd and walk to the race
9:00 am	1 Mile Walk
9:45 am	5K Run
10:00 am	Monroe Township School District Percussion Symphony
11:00 am	5K Run Medal presentation ceremony

 

MEDALS

• 1st Place M & F Overall
• 1st, 2nd & 3rd Places for M & F in age groups - Under 10, 11-14, 15-18, 19-30, 31-50
• 1st & 2nd Places for M & F in age groups - 51-60, 61-70
• 1st Place for M & F in age groups - 71 and over
• Participant Medal for all participants under 10

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Read Om's story

Learn more about Om Foundation

 

HOW TO DONATE

We hope you will join us this year in making a difference in the community by supporting the Om Foundation in funding our work. There are multiple ways to donate-

• donate when you register for the event at www.SmilesForOm.org/runsignup 
• on our website at https://www.smilesforom.org/  
• on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/smilesforom 
• on our Instagram page at http://instagram.com/smilesforom 
• Mail a check to: Om Foundation, 1 Scenic Way, Monroe Township, NJ 08831 (Tax Exempt EIN # 82-4993198) 
   

OUR GOALS

• Support research that focuses on childhood cancer
• Promote cancer awareness through education
• Bring smiles, positive attitudes, and the power of perseverance to children
• Provide service opportunities to help students get involved
• Strengthen our community by supporting those in need

 

OUR WORK

  - Support Pediatric Cancer Research

• Funded $210,000 to support Pediatric Cancer Research at Cancer Institute Of New Jersey (CINJ). Rutgers Foundation Press Release: https://tinyurl.com/omfdnpledge
• Pledged $50,000 to support developing a child life program at RWJ Cancer Hospital

  - Strengthen our community by supporting those in need

• Provided $40,000 in financial support to New Jersey families impacted by cancer

 - Bring smiles, positive attitudes, and power of perseverance to children

• Funded over $30,000 for Optimism programs in Monroe Township Schools and Library
• Annual ‘Month of Optimism’ events at Monroe Township Middle School each February
• Sponsored ‘Kindness Matters’ event for 587 sixth grade students
• Annual Optimism awards and scholarships at MTHS and MTMS
• Donated Lego table and Optimistic Om Mural at Monroe Township Library
• Annual Makerfest table at Monroe Township Library in March

 - Promote Pediatric Cancer Education & Awareness

• Sponsored High School students to attend BioConnect Oncology
• Leadership Development Programs at Rutgers University
• Sponsored 25 Monroe Township students to participate in Rutgers Oncology Olympiad
• Conducted Oncology Poster Contest at MTHS Green/Science Fair
• Donated these Oncology Posters to Pediatric Cancer Patients at RWJ Cancer Hospital
• Pediatric Cancer awareness banner at Municipal Plaza
  

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Om Foundation is a 501 (c)3 tax exempt nonprofit organization (EIN# 82-4993198). For sponsorship opportunities, please contact:

• Ketul Parikh:      Ketul@smilesforom.org or 908-267-2275

10-year-old Om came home from school with a headache every day for a week. During the weekend though, his headache became so intense that his parents, Ketul and Krupa, called the paramedics to their home in New Jersey. After a CT scan and MRI, the family learned the terrible news: Om had a rare brain tumor called oligodendroglioma.

“My doctor said it was a rare brain tumor in kids,” Om said. “It was a little scary. It’s very rare, but I’m the one that got it.”

Doctors at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia worked to develop a customized treatment plan for Om that would combine chemotherapy and proton radiation therapy. Once Om’s radiation therapy and chemotherapy were completed, an MRI showed that his tumor appeared to be gone. His family celebrated by taking Om’s Make-a-Wish trip to visit his grandfather’s home in India.

During the trip, the family visited a shrine high up in the Himalayas and Ketul recalls how amazed he was at his son’s endless strength. “Om had to walk three miles up a hill,” Ketul says, “and he had no problem.”

Months after the trip, the family learned that Om’s tumor was back. It was a huge setback, but Om was fearless.

 

Ketul remembered his son’s reaction: “The first thing he told the doctor was, ‘I beat it one time, I’m going to go beat it again. I’m going to be a two-time cancer survivor.’”

 

But Om admitted how difficult that time was. “That was really emotional for me. It was hard to learn that it came back.”

Om started a new chemotherapy treatment — an intense combination of three drugs. This was harder on him than his earlier treatments, but, his first MRI during this new chemotherapy regime showed that his tumor was shrinking.

He was doing very well until a call from CHOP on September 6, 2017 changed everything. It was Om's first day of 8th grade.

"The doctors told us that his tumor grew back and we have to come up with another plan for Om's treatment," says Krupa. They placed him on an immunotherapy drug and scheduled a biopsy for October 4, just one week after Om would be serving as an ambassador for the CHOP Parkway Run & Walk in Philadelphia. At the walk, Om held the hand of a 2-year-old patient, who was scared to go on stage without his mother and won the hearts of over 10,000 attendees by talking about how everyone must unite in the fight against cancer.

Immediately following the surgery, Om was still the same strong and happy boy, even when he had 23 staples in his head. He was even released from the hospital earlier than expected because he was doing so well and he was so determined to go home.

 

Two weeks after surgery, however, Om started having problems with his vision and balance, and eventually he became unable to speak and stay awake. The once-lively boy now slept all day. In November, doctors told his family that there was no hope left, but Om kept fighting and his courage never wavered.

After everything Om went through and the toll treatment took on his body, his dad says, “he was always just as original” as before the tumor diagnosis. He was smart as a whip, took responsibility to understand his disease and treatment, and helped others every chance he got.

 

Om passed away on February 7, 2018, but the impact he left on so many lives is proof that he is still a winner in the fight against cancer.

A cancer diagnosis comes with dozens of questions but only one definite answer: that you will never have all the answers. As a family, this answer is frustrating and heartbreaking, but all the same motivating to try and eliminate this uncertainty and doubt.

Om's unpredictable roller-coaster journey since his initial diagnosis brought along multiple biopsies, surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy, side effects, and even a return of his tumor. The experience has been life shattering for the entire family, filled with a feeling of helplessness yet hope at the same time. It is our responsibility to help other families going through the same tough experiences and prevent any child in the future
from enduring the same pain and difficulties

We never could have imagined that a happy, healthy boy like Om would have to fight this battle. After all, there was no history of cancer in either side of his family tree. It is easy to think that you will never face an obstacle such as cancer because we tend to take our good fortune and good health for granted, but cancer can strike anyone at any time because science has not yet found a way to prevent it. This is why awareness, involvement, and contributions to the battle against cancer are so important; we need to do whatever we can to eliminate this menace and make even more progress in the battle against cancer. Any donation is a step towards more certainty, more reassurance, more efficient treatment options and eventually, eradicating cancer altogether.

The Om Memorial Fund will support programs and initiatives that bring smiles, positive attitudes, and the power of perseverance to school age children.

Om Memorial Fund will also provide financial and other assistance to children fighting cancer, as well as support education and research that help prevent or terminate childhood cancer. OMF will also establish a scholarship for the Monroe Township High School Class of 2022.

Om Memorial 1 Mile Walk: T-Shirt

Om Memorial 5K Run: T-Shirt