KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick’s Bar and No Grill in Waldo held its 13th annual Craig “Satch” Sanders .1K Memorial Run on Sunday. Owner Patrick Sanders hosts the charity event in honor of his late brother Craig.
“Like brothers we fought, we argued and we would defend each other against any other person,” Sanders said.
He lost his brother to kidney failure after giving him one of his own just eight years prior to Craig's passing.
Sanders wanted to honor his brother in a way that would pay tribute to their quick-witted relationship, so instead of a more typical 5K run or golf tournament, he decided on a race stretching only 328 feet.
“He would hate this event," Sanders said with a laugh. "He would look at me and go, ‘You’re an idiot, you know, no such thing’ — that type of thing."
In the darkest times, Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care took care of Sanders' grieving family. Because of this, every dollar raised through the event has been donated to the hospice center since its inception.
Last year alone, the event generated $58,000.
“We try to do a kind of tongue-in-cheek event, but for a real cause,” Sanders said. “They were unbelievable with my brother, with my family in a brilliant way every time.”
Some of the hundreds of people that were in attendance Sunday share a connection through Craig, but others share grief for those they have lost.
Volunteer Esther Heng says raising money for the hospice center is a cause that will touch everyone’s life at some point.
“Both my parents were at Kansas City Hospice on Wornall, and they were treated with respect, with love and care," Heng said. "This is the one charity that I give my heart and soul to."
The event has only grown over the last 13 years — starting with merely 50 participants the first year — as the community continuously rallies to support Sanders amid his sorrow.
“I’d tell him I love him, that I miss him and I’d buy him a cocktail,” Sanders said.
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