Tigger Run planned in memory of Edison teen

EDISON — Following through on a project to honor their son’s memory, the Toal family is holding the third annual Tigger Run on March 28.

The event, to be held at Dapady Ranch at 137 Dapady Ranch Circle in Edison, will begin with a one-mile fun run at 8:30 a.m. and will include a 5K trail run and 10K trail run at 9 a.m. as well as a Tigger Tot Trot for children ages 4 and under.

The event is meant to honor the life of Nathan Toal, a Southwest Georgia Academy student and athlete who died in a Jeep rollover accident on March 26, 2012, on his family’s farm at age 15. Proceeds have gone toward bringing an uplift to the worship center at Living Waters in Balsam Grove, N.C., which is now being called the Nathan Outreach Center, that has a special place in the hearts of the Toal family members.

“It’s a run in the woods, around the fields,” said Carla Toal, Nathan’s mother, of the Tigger Run. “It is a fun run.”

The four Toal children each had a nickname from Winnie the Pooh. Nathan’s was Tigger, due to his abundant energy and fearlessness.

“Our son reminded us of Tigger with his energy,” Toal said.

Three years into the effort, also known as The Nathan Project, the building is almost finished. The expansion was a $250,000 undertaking that included increasing the floor size of the worship center — previously a barn facility — and changing the roof structure to allow a second floor to be added. The kitchen remains to be finished, and there are plans to put in a staircase to the second floor that is expected to eventually house sleeping quarters.

A banquet was held in the facility last summer, during which youngsters were allowed to write on the floor — which had not yet been completed — what they wanted to see happen in the building.

“The main reason (we did this) was because it affects so many people,” Toal said.

All four of the Toal children attended youth retreats at Living Waters at one point or another, and Carla Toal and her husband, Rob Toal, were engaged there.

“It really shaped who he was,” Carla Toal said of the impact of Living Waters on Nathan. “I was his mom, but I can say he was one in a million.”

By playing with the little kids, and befriending peers in all cliques, Nathan held everything and everyone together.

“He sucked up the energy in the room. He was like the glue in his classroom,” his mother said. “God really used him in a short bit of time.”

The first Tigger Run raised $20,000 for the project, with the second raising roughly $17,000. That, combined with other donations given to the Nathan Outreach Center, brings the total proceeds about at the $250,000 goal.

Now that the center is almost paid for, consideration is being given to where proceeds from future Tigger Runs could go.

“We are trying to decide what we could do in the local area,” Toal said. “We haven’t decided yet, but we would like to do something locally, or at least in Calhoun County.”

To start giving back to Southwest Georgia, coordinators have decided to let people sponsor a few runners who might not be able to justify paying the registration fee.

“I’m thinking that we will get in touch specifically with the Calhoun County boys basketball team and see who from there would want to run,” Toal said. “Some of the boys on that team (who recently won state) used to play community baseball with Nathan when he was young. They are a fine bunch of boys, and we’re really proud of them.”

If Nathan could see this progress, his mother thinks he would likely be doing backflips — similar to the energy he demonstrated even from the womb.

“I think Nathan would be absolutely thrilled,” she said. “The memorial to Nathan, I think, is that it is impacting lives … We have kids who tell us the impact he had on their lives.

“He lived life wide open. We could not contain him. He wasn’t afraid of anything.”

During the Christmas season before Nathan’s death, Rob Toal wrote a blessing for him that started out: “Bam Nathan, a blazing comet in His Kingdom.” The comet was later referenced in a closing on a reflection on Nathan’s death by his uncle, and Carla Toal’s brother, Ben Dismukes, soon after the accident.

“This week, I saw the passing of a comet,” Dismukes wrote in his comments. “I have lived under its light for the past 15 years, and while I had every opportunity to bask in its glow, I only caught glimpses of it from time to time. Now the comet is gone, and I am deeply troubled by its passing. Nevertheless, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to see it — if only for a moment. In my state of heightened sensitivity, I now suspect that I’m surrounded by comets. This makes me want to recognize their beauty while their light is still with me. God give me courage to live and love as freely as the one we’ve lost.”

Registration the day of the race begins at 8 a.m., and once the races kick off, they will be led out by a horse. Those participating in the run can partake in barbecue sandwiches, door prizes and can become eligible to be awarded a prize for being the best dressed Tigger.

Age brackets go from 13 and under to 50 and over in male and female divisions. There will be first and second place medals given out following the races, Toal said. Registration forms are available at various places throughout Albany, Edison and Damascus, including:

— Pataula Charter Academy: 18637 Hartford St., Edison

— West Foods: 19199 Hartford St., Edison

— Calhoun County Library: 19379 Hardford St., Edison

— The Bank of Edison: 476 Turner St., Edison

— Southwest Georgia Academy: 14105 GA Hwy 200, Damascus

— Terrell Academy: 602 Academy Drive, Dawson

— Ivey’s Outdoor and Farm Supply: 108 N. Westover Blvd.

— Wild Side Running: 2341 Lake Park Drive

— PT Gym: 1420 Dawson Road

Those who register by today will be guaranteed a T-shirt. Through today, the registration will be $25, and will increase to $30 on Monday. Registration for the Tigger Tot Trot, which will be a run around the horse ring and is expected to include a special prize, is $5. The goal this year is to raise $15,000.

Those seeking more information can visit www.facebook.com/thetiggerrun or call Dapady Ranch at (229) 835-2714. The event can also be found on www.active.com. More information on Living Waters can be found at www.thereismoreministries.com.