Maille McNicholas, 16, a junior at Twin Valley High School, is helping to organize the first Pennsylvania Purple Polka Dot 5K Fundraiser and Family Fun Run to benefit the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation (VBF). The event will take place at Cassel Vineyards of Hershey, 80 Shetland Drive, Hummelstown, on Sunday, Nov. 5. The 5K will start at 11 a.m., followed by the fun run at 12:15 p.m.

In addition to Maille, the other hosts of the event are Ava Pyles, 23, of Hummelstown and Liz Stern, 19, and Ava Wolchuk, 19, both of Wynnewood. All four young ladies were born with different types of vascular birthmarks, anomalies or related syndromes, and all serve as VBF Global Ambassadors.

Maillie explained that the upcoming event will be modeled after the Purple Polka Dot Race held in Michigan, which has been hosted annually since 2016 by race founder Jody Lee, in honor of her daughter, Meghana, who was born with a port wine stain birthmark on her face. The name of the race comes from the purplish polka dots that temporarily mark Meghana's skin following her laser treatments.

All proceeds from the event, which is one of the largest fundraisers for the VBF, are directly donated to the foundation to support its charitable work, including education, referrals and free treatment clinics.

"I went to the race (in Michigan) with Liz, and we drove down together and, on the way home, we came up with the idea to bring the race to Pennsylvania," Maille said. "We started reaching out to others in the community with vascular birthmarks and they agreed, and we started planning together."

Each of the young women has taken on various roles in planning the event. "We have weekly Zoom calls, which we started last year," Maille said. "I am doing social media and will be emceeing the awards ceremony at the race. Liz Stern is organizing the volunteers. Ava Pyles is doing the course setup with her stepdad and getting sponsorship because she lives in the area where the race is taking place. The people who own the vineyard were so kind to donate to the venue to us for raceday. Ava W. is working with the starting and finishing line coordination."

The 5K will be a cross-country-style run through the vineyards. "Every participant will get a Hershey bar, and there will be wine available for tasting and purchasing for adults after the race," said Maille's mother, Megan McNicholas, a member of the Purple Polka Dot Race committee. "The fun run is a 1-mile walk/run for the kids (and their families)."

The goal of the event is to raise $10,000 for the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation. "We would love to see 150 5K participants, and we are hoping to achieve that (monetary) goal," Megan added.

For more information about the race or to register, visit http://www.runsignup.com and search for "Pennsylvania Purple Polka Dot Race." A link to register can also be found at http://www.purplepolkadotrace.com/pennsylvania-ppdr. Same-day registrations will also be accepted.