Bunny run raises funds for Dream Center; honors cancer victim

JACKSON, Tenn. — Runners laced up their shoes in honor of Kelly Gaffney, a woman who lost her battle to cancer.

“Kelly loved Easter, so it’s great to honor her this weekend,” family friend Kelly Graham said.

Hundreds of runners honored her life Saturday at the Dream Center’s 5k Bunny Run.

Graham says Kelly lost her battle to ovarian cancer in 2017 at age 28.

“Every time you saw her, she was lifting you up,” Graham said. “You weren’t there to lift her up, and that’s an example of the person she was.”

Dozens of balloons filled the sky over Union University in Kelly’s memory.

“Many of them saw rainbows after her death in passing from this life to her new life in heaven, and we wanted to honor her memory today,”campaign manager of the Dream Center Stephanie Laffoon said.

Laffoon says the goal of the center is to help women like Kelly, who may be experiencing a crisis or just need support.

“We offer them hope and faith through Jesus Christ, and we teach them all the life skills they need to get out under their situation,” Laffoon said.

Laffoon says the center lost their building in 2016, and money raised at the run will go towards building a new one.

“We’ve had land donated to us by Northside Assembly and we’re ready to build,” Laffoon said. “We need to raise about $600,000 more before we can break ground.”

It’s a cause Kelly’s friends and family say she would be proud of.

“She was just a great woman, so she would be proud of us doing something for such a great cause,” Graham said.

This is the ninth year for the Dream Center’s 5k  Bunny Run.

Around 120 runners took part in the race.

An Easter egg hunt was also hosted for the kids.