With warmer temperatures come lots of runs, walks, and strolls for various non-profit organizations. So how do you stand out from the crowd? You turn it into a costume party and give away a free trip to Puerto Vallarta for the best costumes. On May 3, in Tower Grove Park, that’s exactly what Extra Hands for ALS and The Jack Orchard ALS Foundation are doing with their “Run for your Life” (RFYL) event.

“I was looking for a way to produce a unique event that would appeal to our base of student volunteers. After all, who gets excited by yet another walk/run? Without a twist it’s just not compelling,” Jack Orchard, founder and chairman of Extra Hands for ALS and the Jack Orchard ALS Foundation, said. He was inspired to create a different kind of a race based on one he saw when he lived in San Francisco where many of the runners wear costumes. “It’s absolutely crazy and a lot of fun. (Hundreds of people even run in their birthday suits!) One of my friends from graduate school won the best team costume by going as Stonehenge with a group of a dozen others. They actually ran the entire 7.5 mile course, up and down the steep hills of San Francisco, in 10-foot high costumes, and in formation!”

While no Stonehenge configurations are predicted to appear in St. Louis this year, so far, at the 5K race and the 1K Family Fun Loop, organizers have seen their share of inspired costumes. “Last year there was a group dressed up as a bridal party and that was pretty creative,” Ian English, Washington University (WU) student and organizer of the event, said. “We also saw a Cardinals and Cubs couple, Superman, and a doctor cowboy.” One year, Orchard himself went as the bloody glove from the notorious O.J. Simpson trial while one friend came as Ron Goldman, another as the white Bronco, another as Nicole Simpson and so on. In addition to buying tickets for numerous raffle prizes, participants will be able to compete for the best individual costume (four-night, all-inclusive trip for two to Mexico) and best youth and group costumes.

The run/walk is organized by English and his fraternity brothers at Phi Delta Theta at WU. “Lou Gehrig was a Phi Delta Theta so ALS is our international philanthropy,” English said. “I volunteered with Extra Hands when I was in high school. I was there at Burroughs when Jack announced he was forming Extra Hands.”

Extra Hands’ mission is “to instill the importance of community service and develop leadership qualities in young adults by uniting them with people who have ALS and their families.” The organization accomplishes this goal by placing student volunteers in the homes of people with ALS to help with chores, errands or just provide company. It began in 2002 as a program of the Jack Orchard ALS Foundation and in 2003 it became a separate charity. It has trained and matched almost 1,000 students with more than 250 families across the country, according to its Web site. And it’s continually growing in order to meet the demands from ALS families.

Orchard said one of the most important features of the run/walk is that it’s run entirely by students. “Extra Hands is as much about youth development and leadership as it is about fighting ALS. ‘Run For Your Life’ is a great exercise in teamwork, one we hope to expand to other cities soon. We’ve just finished a comprehensive manual which students can use to guide their efforts.”

The fraternity members are marketing the event to the entire St. Louis community as well as to WU and Saint Louis University students. Johnnie Brock’s, a costume rental and sales store, is donating two costumes a week for the students to use to promote the run/walk. “Someone will put on a costume and walk around campus. We want to not just raise participation but to also show how it’s going to be a blast,” Zach Mandel, WU Phi Delta Theta chapter president, said. “When you’re walking around dressed as a penguin it gets the conversation started.” Anyone who mentions “Run For Your Life” when renting a costume from Brock’s for the event will receive a special discount.

Orchard has made a definite impression on the student organizers. “He’s unbelievable. We do anything he asks us to do. He’s the man,” Mandel, whose family members belong to several Reform synagogues in town, said. “A lot of us have read his book [Extra Hands — Grasping for a Meaningful Life] and are passing it around the house. Jack has given our organization a broader purpose. Instead of focusing an event on just WU kids, the RFYL has opened us up to the whole community. Sometimes it can feel like you’re living in a small bubble at WU so this helps us see what we can do with the entire community.”

English said he’ll be thinking about Jack for a very long time: he will be applying to medical school and wants to go into neurology. He’s also impressed with Orchard’s organizational skills.

“Jack has such a great business sense about him. He wrote a whole 90-page manual on how to do this event so it can explode all over.” Currently RFYL is held only in St. Louis and the first one to be held out of the area will be in Boise later this year.

While the run/walk attracts serious runners it is also designed to be a spectacle to capture the attention of young people. “We hope to draw 1,000 people and raise $30,000,” Orchard said. “Almost all of the proceeds go to support the St. Louis chapter of Extra Hands for ALS. However, some people feel strongly about funding ALS research, so we offer everyone the opportunity to make donations to the Jack Orchard ALS Foundation which funds research projects in partnership with the ALS Association’s very impressive scientific division.”

Pre-registration fees are $25 for adults 16 and older; $20 for students with valid IDs; $15 for under 15 years old. Visit www.alsrun.org for more information.