501(c)(3) nonprofit organization · O'Fallon, IL
Her strength is still moving people forward.
The Jennifer Mueller Memorial Foundation keeps Jenn's promise going: a scholarship at Colorado State University, and one morning every July when the whole town shows up in green.
Born
Died
Two dates, and a small line between them.
Everything Jenn was is inside that line. She lived eight of those years with a cancer most people have never heard of, and spent them telling everyone around her to celebrate the day they were standing in.
The line did not stop in 2018.
Her mantra
She found this, and made it hers.
You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have
In her own words
Read the whole letter“Cancer has truly changed me. It has taught me to work harder, to dream bigger, to love passionately, to pray more, to worry less about the little things, to be more positive, to celebrate each day and to be stronger!”
“My heart smiles because I have been blessed to be surrounded by so many incredible people!”
The line
Everything that came after.
-
1982
She arrives.
Born July 9, 1982. She would grow into someone who spent her time making other people's celebrations happen.
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Eight years
The diagnosis.
Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma: a rare liver cancer that mostly finds young adults with otherwise healthy livers. Jenn lived with it for eight years, and kept working, planning and turning up the whole time.
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2018
January 17.
Jenn dies at 35. She had already written down, in her own hand, what she wanted the people around her to do with their days.
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2018–2019
The first scholarship.
Renee Alderman becomes the first Jenn Mueller Memorial Scholar, studying Hospitality Management at Colorado State University. Three more have followed.
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2019
The first Run for Pancakes.
Her family and friends put on a 5K in O'Fallon, and set the date that has held ever since: the second Saturday in July.
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2026
The 8th annual.
Saturday, July 11, 2026, at St. Nicholas Church. A 5K, a Kids Fun Run, hand-painted finisher ornaments, and pancakes at the end of it.
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Next
The 9th annual.
Second Saturday in July. Same church, same pancakes, same reason. The line keeps going.
8
Years she fought
a rare liver cancer
8
Races run
since 2019
4
Students funded
at Colorado State
501(c)(3)
Nonprofit
every dollar stays local
Saturday, July 11, 2026
The 8th Annual is in the books.
The Run for Pancakes ran again this July at St. Nicholas Church in O'Fallon: a 5K run/walk, a Kids Fun Run, hand-painted finisher ornaments, and pancakes at the end of it. Same as every year. Bigger than last year.
The scholarship
Four students, and counting.
The Jenn Mueller Memorial Scholarship goes to Hospitality Management students in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Colorado State University: the field Jenn loved, and the people who plan the parties, the weddings and the celebrations she never stopped believing in.
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2021–2022
Christopher Begay
Farmington, New Mexico
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2020–2021
Taylor Paradise
Denver, Colorado
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2019–2020
Kaitlin K. Dailey
Superior, Colorado
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2018–2019
Renee Alderman
Ohio, by way of Colorado
Race morning
What it actually looks like.
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The memory board: Jenn, in every year of her life. -
Go. -
Christmas in July: the 2024 finisher ornament. -
Santa hats in July. Nobody questions it anymore. -
The pancakes the race is named for. -
The people who put it on.
Next year
9th Annual Run for Pancakes
Second Saturday in July · St. Nicholas Church, O'Fallon, IL
Registration opens in the spring. Sponsors can lock in a spot on the race shirt now.
Questions
What people ask us.
What is the Jennifer Mueller Memorial Foundation?
The Jennifer Mueller Memorial Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in O'Fallon, IL, run by Jenn's family and friends. It funds the Jenn Mueller Memorial Scholarship at Colorado State University, puts on the 5K Run for Pancakes every July, and gives back to families in the community.
Who was Jennifer Mueller?
Jennifer “Jenn” Mueller was born on July 9, 1982 and died on January 17, 2018, after living with Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma, a rare liver cancer, for eight years. Her mantra was “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” Her family built the Jennifer Mueller Memorial Foundation to carry her forward.
What is the Run for Pancakes?
The Run for Pancakes is the Jennifer Mueller Memorial Foundation's yearly race: a 5K run/walk and a Kids Fun Run, with Santa hats in July, hand-painted finisher ornaments, and pancakes at the end. Walkers are as welcome as runners, and what is raised on race day goes to the scholarship fund and to local families.
When and where is the Run for Pancakes?
The Jennifer Mueller Memorial 5K Run for Pancakes is held on the second Saturday in July at St. Nicholas Church in O'Fallon, IL. The 8th annual race was on Saturday, July 11, 2026, and the 9th annual is next.
How do I register for the race or donate?
Registration for the 9th annual race opens in the spring. You can give to the Jennifer Mueller Memorial Foundation at any time through PayPal, become a race sponsor by June 1, or email jenn.mueller.memorial@gmail.com to volunteer.
Who is the Jenn Mueller Memorial Scholarship for, and how do students apply?
The Jenn Mueller Memorial Scholarship, funded by the Jennifer Mueller Memorial Foundation, goes to Hospitality Management students in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Colorado State University. Students apply through the college's own scholarship process.
Join in
The line is still being drawn.
Every dollar raised goes into the scholarship fund and back into the community that carried Jenn through eight years. That is what keeps it going.