Our inaugural event was a cloudy cold day, but we quickly realized that we had created something that was going to last. The weather had no chance of dampening anyone's mood, and we all celebrated our first Sweet Cause, Pat Lueken. Pat was in the middle of a battle with colon cancer. He was in the hospital at the time of our event, but we made sure we sang loud enough for him to hear even in Louisville! 

With one event under our belt, we had high expectations for our second. The sun was shining bright this year, and this was as perfect as the shining smile of our Sweet Cause, Mark Gessner. Mark is battling muscular dystrophy, and this merry group of elves has joined team Mark!

Our third event brought many new faces to our event, and we banded together just like you would expect from any regular group of elves. . . with song, sweets, and even a little bit of dancing! This year we were all Neukam Strong, as our Sweet Cause was Sharon Neukam. Sharon battled pancreatic cancer, and this group of elves was caught on camera so that Sharon could fully appreciate the outpouring of love for her. 

Whew, it was a cold year. The cold was never going to bring these elves down, though. A unicorn was even brought into the mix this year! All of our hearts were warmed as this year's Sweet Cause, Kinzie & Kylie Gilbert, were in attendance. These little angels were mono/mono twins (meaning they shared the same placenta). Heart defects, infections, a rare lung disease, and many surgeries were faced by these two, and this year our band of elves put our full support behind them!

We have had a blast putting on this event each year, but we never could have imagined what it was going to turn into. How in the world can a few silly people with some even sillier ideas be behind this all?!? This year our merry group joined together with an even merrier group, as Anderson Woods was our Sweet Cause. We even have a banner now to make us official!

The turnout was great, the weather was fantastic, and the treats were oh so sweet! The only thing sweeter than the treats, though, was our very own Sweet Cause, Colton Allen. Colton was chosen as our Sweet Cause as he battles Pierre Robin Sequence, and we wanted to do our small part with prayers, support, and generosity. Colton's family chose for Riley Children's Foundation to be the recipient of our donations in honor of him. We started out the second half of our first decade with a bang as we had 180 registered participants and collected $2627 for our Sweet Cause! 

Oh, what a year it was! It wasn't the same by a long shot, but all of our elves came through in a big way, even if it was virtually. Borrowed Hearts Dubois County was our Sweet Cause, and $1775 was gathered via Venmo, snail mail, and local delivery for this very worthy cause! The Cocoa Run was spread out across the country, and photos showed off this participation far and wide! 

P.S. We promise that Yoda is just fine in this photo. He was just pouting because there were no treats along the route this year!

Back on the road again! As in literally, we filled up 900 East once again with a group of the cheeriest elves in existence! We got started a little late due to shuttling that many elves, but the weather was absolutely gorgeous! 

Sue Neukam, our Sweet Cause, gave a heart-warming talk, and then after a few elf calesthenics, we were on our way over the hill and through the woods with our hands full of treats and our minds on that prized cup of hot cocoa waiting at the finish line! At the end of the day, we were able to present Sue with $4450 in Sweet Cause donations! 

Life can present us with some real struggles, and it is during these difficult times that we may just need someone to support us. We have witnessed firsthand this past year just how much Heart to Heart Hospice can be that support system, and they were our chosen Sweet Cause for 2022! We feel that you would be hard-pressed to find a more caring group of people than all the wonderful people that gather together one day a year on 900 E, but those in Heart to Heart Hospice are right up there as well! So, this year we joined with HtoHHF to do a very merry celebration of life!

This very worthy cause works to lift the burden for a patient or family member and bring a smile to someone's face, and we all know that smiling is our favorite! We are all smiles this year as we are able to present HtoHHF with a donation amounting to $2852! 

Our 2023 Sweet Cause for our 10th annual Cocoa Run was Rock Steady Boxing: Fighting Parkinson's Disease at the Tri-County YMCA. The mission of this tremendous organization is to empower people with Parkinson's to fight back. Rock Steady Boxing is an effective physical exercise program to dramatically improve mobility, balance, strength, and flexibility. It provides a "Tough Love" approach, inspiring maximum effort. Combined with a fun, social, group setting, the RSB family helps to provide uplifting encouragement and hope. 

The amazing group that comes together every year to put on this family-favorite event is especially invested in helping in any way we can with those suffering from Parkinson's. Our small but mightily cheery group thinks not only of the father, father-in-law, uncle, and brother-in-law in our family but of everyone who is battling or has battled Parkinson's. On this day and always we support you all and hope that our special little event can lift your spirits. We choose to take the "Sweet Love" approach to inspiration in the form of cookies, cocoa, and sheer merriment, and we raised $2702 in donations for Rock Steady Boxing!

The big guy in the red suit himself showed up to show his support for The Cocoa Run at our 11th annual event! Our event this year was extra sweet as we celebrated the 85th birthday of everyone's favorite elf (Mom/Grandma/Great-Grandma/Aileen)! To honor her birthday, we asked for her to choose the Sweet Cause for this year, and she chose to honor two little angels every bit as sweet as her homemade hot cocoa. 

Aileen chose her two great-grandchildren, Aiden Lueken and Zoey Leonard, who gained their angel wings, to be the Sweet Causes for 2024. These two will always live on in our hearts.  

Aiden was diagnosed with SMA (spinal muscular atrophy), and his loved ones have participated in Cure SMA ever since in memory of Aiden. Donations will go to this organization as they work tirelessly to find a cure for this rare disease. 

Zoey was diagnosed with VACTERL (vertebral defects, anal atresia, cardiac defects, tracheo-esophageal fistula, renal anomalies, and limb abnormalities). The Shriners organization was prepared to assist Zoey in any way possible, and in memory of Zoey, donations will go to this cause as they continue to assist children with rare diseases. 

As always, we are used our little event to collect donations for our sweet causes, and $4890 was collected and distributed to Cure SMA and The Shriners . Most importantly, though, we came together to show our love and support for those that will always love and miss these little angels and hopefully we uplifted them with our Christmas cheer. We honor these young souls, the lasting impact they had on countless lives, and the ongoing influence they have in raising awareness of rare diseases. Their legacy continues to inspire efforts to support others facing these challenges.