About Mankato’s ChiliFest for Vets and Rett

2011 marks the 4th Annual Mankato’s ChiliFest for Vets and Rett. The idea for ChiliFest was conceived by Mankato Police Commanders Amy Vokal and Matt DuRose, along with KTOE 1420 AM radio personality Trish. During their weekly radio show, “Talkin’ the Beat”, they came up with the idea of having a grudge-match chili cook-off between police officers and firefighters. In the Fall of 2008, the idea gained inspiration, when Ashlyn Bennett, the daughter of Mankato Police Officer Jason Bennett, had a dramatic change in her medical status. Ashlyn, who was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome in 2007, suffered a drastic and sudden onset of uncontrollable seizures, causing her to be hospitalized for a month. Ashlyn became the motivation to bring the 1st Annual ChiliFest to fruition, to raise money for the Minnesota Rett Syndrome Research Association.  As the planning continued, Mankato area Veterans took up the cause as well, and the Mankato Veteran’s Memorial Place also became a beneficiary of the event.  Thanks to the generous donations of the Greater Mankato Community members, over $23,000 has been raised for Rett Syndrome Research and the Mankato Veteran’s Memorial Place!

In 2011, with fundraising completed for the Veteran's Memorial Place, the ChiliFest Committee members sought to find another veteran's-related cause for ChiliFest to support.  It was determined that each year, a veteran's cause in Southern Minnesota will be identified and receive funds from ChiliFest. 

In 2011, the Blue Earth-Nicollet County Vietnam Veteran's Memorial has been selected as the veteran's beneficiary of the 4th Annual ChiliFest for Vets and Rett.  The memorial, completed in 1988, will be enhanced and expanded to include native prairie plantings, a paved parking lot, walking path, and new landscaping, which will accommodate the Travelling Vietnam Memorial Wall.

About Rett Syndrome

Imagine the symptoms of autism, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and anxiety disorders....ALL IN ONE LITTLE GIRL.  Rett Syndrome (RTT), brain disorder affecting development in childhood, has been identified almost exclusively in females. RTT results in severe movement and communication problems following apparently normal development for the first six months of life. The characteristic features include loss of speech and purposeful hand use, occurrence of repetitive hand movements, abnormal walking, abnormal breathing, and slowing in the rate of head growth. It strikes all racial and ethnic groups, and occurs worldwide in 1 of every 10,000 to 23,000 female births. Current treatment for girls with RTT includes physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, and medication for seizures. The course and severity of Rett syndrome is determined by the location, type and severity of her mutation and X-inactivation. Therefore, two girls of the same age with the same mutation can appear quite different. No cure for Rett syndrome is known. In 2007 the journal Science published the work of Adrian Bird, Ph.D. demonstrating the reversal of Rett Syndrome mouse models with late stage disease. Only days away from death, these mice recovered normal function and became indistinguishable from healthy mice in a matter of weeks. This singular achievement has catapulted Rett into new realms of possibility, and positions Rett Syndrome to be the first curable childhood neurological disorder. Rett Syndrome is recognized as the "Rosetta Stone" of other neurological disorders, with genetic links to other disorders like autism and schizophrenia; adavnces in Rett Syndrome research mean advances for these disorders as well!

Minnesota Rett Syndrome Research Association – www.MRSRA.org
International Rett Syndrome Foundation – www.rettsyndrome.org

About Veteran’s Memorial Place

Veteran’s Memorial Place will be located at the east end of the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge, which connects Mankato and North Mankato, acting as a gateway to the Veteran’s Bridge.Construction of the Veteran’s Memorial will be privately funded, and the Memorial will be maintained by the City of Mankato Public Works-Parks staff. Local veterans have developed the concept in memory of those who have served our country.The design showcases all service branches, both war and peacetime service, and will be a place of quiet remembrance and reflection.