At the Great Strides luncheon, from left, Vanessa Hammond; Jolly Johnson; Leigh Ellington; Amy Ownby, mother of a CF patient; Dr. Bill Estes; and Kristen Grisham
Lee University hosted a luncheon to thank sponsors, team leaders, and the Cleveland community for their participation in the 2025 Great Strides event and 65 Roses 5K held to raise funds for a cure for cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease. This year, the event raised $72,000 for the CF Foundation and welcomed over 750 walkers, runners and volunteers.
Great Strides in Cleveland started in 2001 as a partnership between Lee University and the Cleveland and Bradley County community as a way to raise awareness about CF and to raise funds for the CF Foundation.
Combined, this year’s 31 community sponsors contributed over $37,000 to the overall total. There were also 13 walk teams that participated in the event, raising $27,900 and representing CF family teams, companies, and school groups. Proceeds from 65 Roses 5K registration fees and donations added to the total funds raised.
Cleveland Great Strides and 65 Roses 5K has reached over $1.64 million raised for CF research since the local event’s founding in 2001.
During the luncheon, Dr. Bill Estes, dean of Lee’s Helen DeVos College of Education and 65 Roses 5K race director; Kristen Grisham, director of community engagement at Lee; and Vanessa Hammond, Lee’s senior director of foundation and corporate relations and event co-chair expressed their appreciation. Leigh Ellington and Jolly Johnson, with the Tennessee Chapter Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, shared the impact of Cleveland’s Great Strides event on the fight against CF.
“Great Strides is an opportunity for communities across the country to gather together and celebrate the progress that continues to be made in the cystic fibrosis community, and the Cleveland Great Strides and 65 Roses 5k at Lee University is a shining example of power in community,” said Ms. Johnson, senior development director at the Tennessee Chapter CF Foundation. “The impact that the Bradley County community has had on cystic fibrosis research and development over the past 25 years is astounding. When this event began, the average life expectancy for someone with CF was early 30s. Now, less than three decades later, people born with CF today are living into their 60s and beyond. This is a direct result of the passion and commitment from this community, and we are not done. With the continued support of Lee University and the Cleveland/Bradley County community, we will make CF stand for Cure Found.”
Chick-fil-A Chattanooga, Bradley Medical Center, Paul and Darlia Conn, Easy Auto, and Keller Williams Cleveland – Steve Black served as elite sponsors of this year’s 5K and Great Strides Walk.
Premier Plus sponsors included Bank of Cleveland, Don Ledford Automotive Center, Eller & Owens Furniture, Hardee’s, Tri-Con, Inc. and Garden Plaza at Cleveland.
Premier sponsors were Caldwell Paving and Grading, Center for Cosmetic Dentistry, Cleveland Dental Associates, Crawford’s Pharmacy, First Horizon Foundation, Jim Rush Funeral and Cremation Services, and Wright Brothers Construction Co., Inc.
Kilometer sponsors included Andrew Johnson Bank, Brown Stove Works, Inc., Ian Harper, CPA, Ocoee Oral Surgery, Planet Fitness, and Southern Heritage Bank.
Community sponsors were Cleveland Utilities Authority, Gobble’s Automotive, MurMaid Mattress, Inc., Tennessee Valley Urology Center, Wedgewood Accounting, and Whit’s Frozen Custard of Cleveland.
Media sponsors were Mix 104.1 FM and Edge Billboards, and community partners included Karis Community Health and Terra Running Company. Karis Community Health, a second-year partner, had a team of 38 clients, staff, and board members participate in the event.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a nonprofit donor-supported organization dedicated to attacking cystic fibrosis from every angle. Its focus is to support the development of new drugs to fight the disease, improve the quality of life for those with CF, and ultimately find a cure. Research is happening daily to find a cure and develop drugs available to those living with CF.
For more information about Cleveland Great Strides, visit leeuniversity.edu/cf.
For more information about the CF Foundation, visit cff.org.