By MAUREEN DOHERTY
EVERETT — In celebration of Homecoming Weekend 2025, the city of Everett is welcoming back the Homecoming Hustle 5K Run/Walk this Saturday, October 25.
This year’s 5K is dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Janet (Connolly) O’Neill, late of North Reading. An Everett native, Janet was the beloved former Assistant Principal of the Webster School in Everett. The Homecoming Hustle dedication honors her legacy and her unwavering commitment to Everett’s children.
In addition to her career as an educator, Janet was a co-founder of Friends Fighting Breast Cancer, a nonprofit volunteer organization created by her friends and family in both North Reading and Everett after her breast cancer diagnosis. She also served one term on the North Reading School Committee after her diagnosis. Janet and her late husband Michael raised their son and daughter, Michael and Katie, in North Reading. Today, Katie (O’Neill) Britton resides in town with her sons, Kevin and Owen.
From 1996 to 2014, Friends Fighting Breast Cancer raised over $1 million for grassroots breast cancer research conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital through dozens of events, such as galas, quilt-a-thons, raffles, harbor cruises, and other community engagement activities. One of the FFBC’s many fundraising activities was the original Homecoming Hustle back in the early 2000s. The group also advocated for breast cancer screening and early diagnosis to improve outcomes for the women, and men, diagnosed with breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in her lifetime. This statistic has held firm for dozens of years. There are expected to be over 316,000 newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer by the end of 2025.
How to participate
The Homecoming Hustle starts and ends in Everett’s Glendale Park. This is a rain or shine event with an 8:30 a.m. start. Participants can pre-register online (https://events.elitefeats.com/25hustle) and pick up their bib number and T-shirt at the Everett Recreation Center, 47 Elm St. (directly across from Glendale Park), prior to the start of the race.
The first 120 registrants receive a free T-shirt. This is a professionally timed event with live text and email results. Free finish line photos will also be taken. Participants also have the option to form a team with friends or family.
The entry fee is $8 for students and $20 for adults (there is a $3.45 processing fee for adults only).
All proceeds from Saturday’s Homecoming Hustle will be directly donated in Janet’s name to the Massachusetts Women’s Breast and Cervical Care Program at the Cambridge Health Alliance Hospital (CHA) in Everett which offers life-saving screening, care and support services to the women in this community.