Grand Marshals Named for 'Pink Hat Run, Walk and Roll' in the South Loop

Illinois state Rep. Juliana Stratton (D-5) and Chicago Ald. Pat Dowell (D-3) have been named Grand Marshals for the inaugural Pink Hat Run, Walk and Roll, a 5K and one-mile recreational event. The elected officials will greet participants and launch the start on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017 in Chicago's South Loop.

Both women represent the area in which the race is being staged, the South Loop, Museum Campus and revitalized McCormick Square area of the city. Both are 'pink hatters' in their own right, fighting for the rights of women throughout the city and state.

Rep. Stratton, who is running for Lt. Governor, is a freshman legislator whose experience includes her role as Director of the Center for Public Safety and Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago; former executive director of Cook County Justice Advisory Council; and former executive director of Cook County Justice for Children.

With extensive experience in community development and civic engagement, Ald. Dowell was elected in 2007. Previously, she served as a City Planner and Deputy Commissioner for Neighborhood Planning for the City of Chicago. She was also the executive director of several non-profits. Dowell has had a consistent focus on constituent engagement, community-based development and transparency.

The first annual Pink Hat Run, Walk and Roll starts at Prairie Avenue and 18th Streets, next to the Chicago Women's Park and Gardens. This location was selected because of the women's park, which includes the Jane Addams hands sculpture as well as a new exhibit on women in Chicago at the Chicago Park District Fieldhouse. The streets are also home to the historic Glessner House Museum and the Clarke House Museum.

The route takes participants along Chicago's beautiful lakefront and Museum Campus. This action is a pledge-drive event to benefit organizations that provide services, advocacy and support to women and girls, and are central to improving the lives of Chicago communities.

Pink Hat Run, Walk and Roll Chicago's 2017 beneficiaries include Access Living, Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW), Chicago Women's AIDS Project, Chicago Women Take Action (CWTA), Fierce Over 40, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Mujeres Latinas en Acción, National Organization for Women - Chicago, League of Women Voters of Chicago, Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative, Personal PAC, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA), A Sister's Hope, Women's March on Chicago and YWCA Metropolitan Chicago.

Organized by veteran activists Jennifer Lee, Cathy Seabaugh, Tracy Baim and Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, Pink Hat Run is sponsored by Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, A and N Mortgage Services Inc. and Windy City Times.

For more information, visit pinkhatrun.com, or follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pinkhatrun, Twitter: twitter.com/pinkhatrun and Instagram: www.instagram.com/pinkhatrun.