good morning. this is news 4 your sunday. >> welcome and thank you for joinings for this news for your sunday. i' erica gonzalez. we begin talking about an upcoming race wh a very special name. ben's run. it is named afth a boy w a fighting spirit and a legacy that z not onhas not only endurs thriving. i'm joined by claire, founder of ben's run and ben's mom and dr. williams who is a transplant

specialisel specialist. tell me about your son ben. >> sure. thank you for having us. nn's run is memory of our boy.le he was a happy go lucky kid. he was playing with friends. he had really great, great childhood and just a light to be around. when he was in kindergarten, he was getting a series of fevers that never seemed to go away. one day at school i was asked to come get him because his fever had cee back and had fallen asleep during lunch, like completely fell asleep, just no energy. we soonli rd after bringing him to one hospital and then ultimately to children's national health system that ben was diagnosed with leukemia. he was going to be in for a long period of treatment down at

children's. we were, of course, shocked a whus, why is this happening, ut we found a place there a children's where he could be really well cared for a taken great care of at the hospital. during his treatment, it was a six year process. so for six years we were backth and f to children's national and we, yow were forever in the debt of the hospital, the doctors, the nue, all the people that took care of ben there. when he did ultimately pass away, he actually relapsed twice with leukemia. the second time with aml. was ecided one day when out running with some friends that we wanted to give back to all the kids that i knew were still at the hospital and all the i kids that knew were coming after ben who were so very sick. so w decided t start our own run. that was back in 2011.

>> s now you -- it is in its ninth year and you have close to a thousand people that regster for t run. it is very easy. you've got an option for a 5k, 5 mile, 1 mile. if you say i'd like to go out and walknd support, you have all of those options. what has it felt like for you both, and dr. williams, you can chime in on this. yo kind of joined this team in keeping ben's legacy and memor alive to see the support, the overwhelming support that you all have had and the importance of keeping ben's name present. it's been a labor of love from start to finish and it's been because we live in an awesome community. stonegate elementary school where ben wento school in silver spring is a huge part of the run in our neighborhood and it just blossomed and swelled up from there to include all neighboring towns and lots of

people in the district and virginia come and support the run. dr. williams has made sure that all the funds that we've raised have gone back to the hospital to support our trials. >> yes. it's extraordinary to witness. our families go thrgh so much. they often live in the hospital for months at a time, d disconnect from the community. to see a community rally and really raise this money and this energy to help these kids with leukemia iswesome. d over the course of the number of years i've been lucky enough to be partnered with you, we've opened three trials. those trials are to help children treat the leukemia that starts to come back and ways that are helpful and less painful and make this as easy as possible. >> hang with me. we've got to go to a break but t want continue on our

discussion. the race is coming up april 16. we'll tal more about a speci mc the race will have. we'll coinue right after this. emc

. the upcoming race, ben's run, is right around the corner. you want to mark your clealenda. i'm joined by ben's mom, claire, and dr. kirsten williams, blood and marro transplant specialist. let me make a correction. the race is april 6th. i said 16th. it ispril 6th. claire, talk to me about theon loca start time, where people can register. y it's a very affordable race ore walk or h you'd like to contribute, where can people do that? >> if you go to our website, you can register in advance.

it's $30 a person but caps out at100 per family. it's affordable to register to run or walk. if you have a kid friendly dog to bring, you're welco bring your dog to the race. everything can be found on our website. u can also donate through our website as well. >> we are really pleased to say ou very own news 4 mark seager is going to be emceeing the race. support out there to you in the efforts. years, you hing nin will have raised more than $600,000 to donateo children's national. dr. williams, talk to me about the impact those make for the kids who need the help, who need the research to be done, who need cured. >> thiis an extraordinary legacy that ben and his family have given us and children who are diagnosed with high risk ukemia. it's a very painful process. children have to go -- undergo

stints that go into their bones. one of the tngs that we are actually using these resources for is to test a painless way to see whether or not a child's leukemia has come back. actually just take a ifpicture. we could use that picture to see that thes leukemia coming back, we could actually treat it when it was at very low level sps -- levels. >> something that makes it less scary for kids. so they don't have to be around machines and hooked up to things. about how many kids would you say are treated there every year at children's with cancer? >> i believe we treat the newly diagnosed over 200 kids a year. those families really need all the resources and all the help that we can give them. this is an extraordinary resource. >> claire, you know that all too well of how many days and how

manyu nights spent. >> yes. >> you spent years at the hosp >> yes. ben. >> what is it like for you to be able to see kind of what started as some small idea and has srphed into t lasting legacy for your son? >> you know, it is truly wonderful. i know that my husband and i and our daughter would not have been able to bring the run together without countless volunteers in ourcommunity, so i really, truly am honored and humbled by the all thavelunteers we get for the run, our neighbors and volunteers at stonegateen elry. that whole community has come out and supported the run and we'd be nowhere without all that support and that help. it's amazing that what started the first year, we raised $33,000, and we're raising over $100,000 now, and it's a $25,

$30 registration. we don't have big corporate sponsors. we have companies that are willinrt to sup us and it's very much has a community feel. that's the way our volunteers want to -- that's the image we want to have in the community. we're there becausef you and your children. god forbid, your children, if they needed to, could benefit from the great research going on naat children's nat and that our money is supporting. >> well, it's just tremendous what you guys have been able to supportourse, with the of children, the support of the community who knows you loves you so well. again, a reminder that ben's run wi be on april t 6th. you register online as claire just mentioned. it is about a $25 regular administration fee, so it very affordable, very approachable for a lot of people. you've got an option for a 5k, 5

miles, or 1 mile. if you say i can justwalk, you've got an option to walk or i'd like to improve my time, so i want toork on my speed. great. you do that with the 5k. april 6th and our mark seeing ser going to be emceeing ben's run. thank you so much for joining us and much success ine. the r we know it's going to be a great morning. >> thank you. >> absolutely. thank you for joining us. stick around. i'm erica gonzalez in forat lawson muse and we'll be right back w nh mors 4 your sunday.

welcome back to "news 4 your sunday". parents are always looking for something to do with the kids on the weekend we talked about ben's run. the national academy of sciences has a famil day coming up that you just might want to put in your calendar as well.om this will beg up for april 13th. joining me this morning to talk more about that is marsha mcnut,

the president of the national academy of welcome.s. thanks for being with us. what the national academy of scie tes? where is located? who founded it? you've got a chance here that we'll talk about open doors to receive people, to get to know more abo what the nas is. talk to me about that. >> well, the national academy of sciences is perhaps one of the best kept secrets in washington. we don't want it to be a secret anymore. that's one reason why we're opening our doors on april 13th for everyone in washington. aig familyay for people to come. we were founded more than 155 years ago by abraham lincolnhe be advisers to the nation. we are a nongovernmental body. >> nonprofit. >> nonprofit that advises the nation on anyatter where evidence can lead to better decisions. we're excited about that day

because we want to bring in t famili show them how they can use science in everything from the most important decisionsn their liv to the most mundane. >> think of this as an opportunito to head down one of the smithsonians. this time you are really getting some real hands-on opportunity to talk about and learn about stem. this is on 2101 constitution avenue. is saturday, april 13th. it will go from 10:00 to 4:00 who is this year'sis- thi the first time you are in essence opening your doors and welcoming the pull. who should be there? >> this is a family friendly activity. we're expecting children of all ages, but mainly maybe from 8 years old and up, so there will activities for younger children as well.

parents will enjoy it.i think that anyone who has wondered about how science has informed the great leaps forward that we take or even the most minor things that we may decide in our ilives. glad that you mentioned that, because specifically about decisions, you guysave this really neat thing you'r cling decision town, which is kind of this make believe world here in this famil day where children and adults alike can go through a series of about 17 different stations if i'm not mistaken and you get to figure out how, you know, actions and consequences, but how all of this really has science woven into it. >> exactly. i'm so glad you mentioned decision town. so, for example, here in the d.c. area, we know we have one of the worst traffic problems in the nation. >> fair enough, yes, we nddo. >> we also know we have

accessibility problems to transportation. some neighborhoods are well served. some a not well served. so in decisiontown, our citizens who are the attendees at this wonderful family science day will get an opportunityde t tand the ins and outs of various choices that we as amm ity could make in terms of transportation for the do we expand ride sharing? do we expand bike sharing do we expand metro? do we do m ebuses? what is the best approach for us as a community to have access, to get rid of our congestion on our roads? what is fair? what is affordable? what is equitable? >> this is really kind of a continuing education fm what kids are already getting right now in the classroom with such a

focus these days on stem. it's realloc where ourty is, where it's going to be going, where our world is going. so this is just a really cool hands-on way for kids to on amo saturdaying, you've got a pretty good chunk of time to be able to headown there a continue learning about how science, how math influences their day-to-day decisions and how it's going to impact the world that they in one day. >> exactly, because science allows us to ask what if questions. what if we did it this way? what if we did it that way? science makes those predictions and we can say gosh didn't like that outcome or yeah, bad outcome, that's just what is compatible with my values and my vision for the future. >> you guys are presenting a really fun oortunity and, again, a first time that you all are opening your doors. hang with me. we wanto keep talking about

this. please stay with me as well. "news 4 your sunday" returns righafter this. people aren't talking about giant's fresh grab and go salads and sandwiches. they're not talking, because they're eating. oh, hello. at giant, it's the little things that make mealtime easy, so you have more time with the people you love.

we've been couple of things that we've got going on in our air over the next couple of weeks and the way to get the family out and involved and outdoor activities like ben's run and specifically now we are talking abouton the na academy of sciences and this kind of open house family day that is conveniently planned around the national cherry blossom festival parade. so it's right on constitutionen , 2101. it is from 10:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon. it is free. it is a great w to get the kids out,e get sergy out of them and get them really focused on -- continue to focus on stem.

rcia mcnutt is joining us to talk about this open house you are havg. we've talked about this really cool make believe scenario that you all have planned out pretty well for the kids and for adults alike. t this decision as you all are calling it. it is really a focus on h your everyday decisions are impacted by science. and so you're got some really creative kind of stops along e,is 17 stop rof you will, in decision town. one of them being kids a get chance to be jurors in a courtroom and how science impacts their decision making. tell me about that. you've got dna sequencing. that's a spot in this as well. a laser light show. you've got to come up with some really cool things for the kids. talk to me aboutll specifi the jurors in a courtroom. >> so one of the aspects of forensics that the ademy has

weighed in on is the reliability of eyewitness testimony. it turns out that under many circumstances, eyewitness testimony can be very unreliable. so we allowed these jurors in decisi town toctually cast their own powers of observation. what they find out is that whereas they think they remembered exactly what they saw in mock scene, they actually don't. that affects their judgment of the purported defendant in the ial because they realize the eyewitness may not be reliable. >> howo they get into dna sequencing? that seems like aery grand and kind of -- a grand concept, i would say, for kids to kind of process. how do you get them excited about that and learn what that ? >> well, dna has pervaded every aspect of our lives from people

having their own dna sequenced to children who are dopted finding their parents through it. >> sure. >> through people finding about their -- >> their history, theirry ance >> yes. and in the courtroom as well. dnas the one very reliable aspect of forensics. so dna permeates through all o decision town. >> can you remind ourwe v of a good age range? obviously this is open. it is free for everybody to attend. there is kind ofc a specie range that you think we'll really be able to take these things and really digest them and learn something very tangible from this experience. >> so i would say, erica, that if we can get atrong turnout of the group from 8 to 14, this

is our sweet-spot. we love the d.c. cohort because of the diverse group of children we're going to get in that age range. i don't see any way that america can meet its needs to stay ahead in the competitive race to be a scientific power house without engaging a more diverse stem work force. >> and it a starts at very young age. >> it starts at a young age, and d.c. is a real leader in engaging diverse students. >> we'll leave it there. marcia mcnutt. we're encourage everybody to head out on aprilir 13th for t family day. it is toward the end of the national cherry blossom festival parade. it is free again so we encourage you to head out there and good time with the family. thank you for joining us for this "news 4 your sunday".

i'm erica gonzalez in for pat eewson muse. we'll see you nextnd. for tile, wood, and stone, come to the nationwide

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ro> protesters cleared out representatives fm amazon in arlington ahead of the county board's vote over millions in tax incentives for the tech giant's new headquarters. the death toll climbs after two man opens fire at mosques in new zealand. this morning the country is looking for ways to make sure something like this never happens again. >> a slip of the tongue at dinner may have given away joe biden's plans when it comes to the 2020 presidential race. sounds like a joyeden thing to do. good morning to you. happy st. patrick's y. >> righ >> i'm meagan fitzgerald. >> and i'm david