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Once again participants raced against the clock and each other on an old-fashioned railroad handcar in the fifth annual hand car fund raiser "For The Children" held on live tracks at Petersen Park, McHenry, Illinois on August 22. All the proceeds raised from the event went to Children's Memorial Hospital of Chicago and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

In Chicago the money raised was used to purchase cardiac monitors and electronic scales for the infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children's. Cardiac monitors are a vital piece of equipment which monitor the heart rates of the babies and are used when preemies are transferred off their floor for medical procedures. Electronic scales are used to carefully monitor the weight gain of these infants which is crucial for their survival. In Wisconsin the money was used to purchase infusion pump machines which enable children with serious illnesses to be more mobile.

In addition to the hand car races and rides, the all-day event also featured a health and safety fair, blood drive, games for the children, music, lots of food and new this year, a silent auction of items donated by dozens of sponsors. The many sponsors are too numerous to list in the JOURNAL but a very grateful Gary Mang, founder of the event, stressed that "we could not have done it without them."

Father of four, Mang's interest in helping children began when he became a father himself. But the fund raiser was inspired by publicity associated with a handcar he and his father "built and ran in his backyard" in California, where he was living at the time. "For The Children" was launched in 1995 with the handcar as the main event, rolling over a 31-mile span of Union Pacific track from Riverside into Los Angeles county.

Mang said the handcar used in the fundraiser was a nearly exact replica of the ones that were in common use in the 1800s. "It's got the same gear and everything," he said. "When people get off the handcar nine out of 10 of them say they have a new respect for the older generations of railroad workers. The handcar weighs about 1,100 pounds and it was used to inspect up to 10 miles of track in each direction."

Plans for next year's event were underway almost before the dust settled on this year's. Anyone interested in more information, or to order a T-shirt, hat or sports bottle, can contact Gary Mang at 847-265-9733 or FTCHandcarRaces@msn.com or For The Children, P.O. Box 562, Lake Villa, Illinois 60046.