When she was an Education student at Arcadia University, Cory Mazen ’10 and her classmates visited Melmark, an agency in Berwyn that serves children and adults with a broad range of developmental disabilities. Now teaching in New Jersey, she has found a special hospital and educational facility that has become her great cause worth running for.

“My heart melted for the students there,” Mazen recalls. “It opened my mind to the other side of education. After I graduated in 2010, I had to find a school like Melmark closer to home.”

“Home” was Mendham, N.J., where Mazen grew up, graduating from West Morris Mendham High School in 2006. She now teaches second grade at the Bedwell Elementary School in Bernardsville, N.J. “I discovered the Matheny Medical and Educational Center,” she says, “ran in the 5K at Miles for Matheny last year, and made a personal donation. This year I have a webpage on the Miles for Matheny website, and I’m trying to raise money. I would love for people to support me and Matheny for everything they do. It’s a great cause.” As of March 15, Mazen had raised $325; her goal is $500.

Matheny is a special hospital and educational facility in Peapack for children and adults with medically complex developmental disabilities. Miles for Matheny will be held Sunday, April 22, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack. In addition to the 5K, there are five different Cycling Routes, a Kids Fun Run and the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk in which more than 100 participants in wheelchairs, with walking partners, travel 1.5 miles around town.

Major Miles for Matheny sponsors are: The Poses Family Foundation; Affinity Federal Credit Union Foundation; Archer & Greiner P.C.; BP Fueling Communities; WCBS-TV/WCBS Newsradio 880; Partlow Insurance Agency; Peapack-Gladstone Bank; and Porzio Bromberg & Newman P.C.

For more information or to register, log onto www.milesformatheny.org; to donate to Cory Mazen’s webpage, click on Search for Participant and type in her name.