Laurel Run enjoys another successful year
As it begins its second decade, Laurel Run is showing that it is ready to continue growing.
The 11th annual event took place July 20 and 21. As usual, the weekend's activities began Friday with a kickoff breakfast at TRC’s facility on Jones & Gifford Avenue in Jamestown. Following speeches, people proceeded as a group up the sidewalk to Eighth Street, where the first relay runners set off. Again this year, schools throughout Chautauqua County were invited to run portions of the relay. Unfortunately, the first three schools didn't show up at their designated times; fortunately, Bruce Main, Vocational Specialist for TRC, picked up the slack and ran most of those segments after running the initial leg, with Wayne Hotelling also logging some of the uncovered mileage.
Soon, we were back on track. Students, teachers, coaches, and administrators from many schools – Cassadaga Valley, Chautauqua Lake, Clymer, Dunkirk, Forestville, Fredonia, Frewsburg, Maple Grove, Panama, Ripley, Sherman, Silver Creek, and Westfield – took part, enthusiastically moving north toward the final destination.
The relay ended at Dunkirk City Hall, with a large contingent of runners joining Laurel Run co-founder Wayne Hotelling for the final leg. Mayor Richard Frey and his staff once again hosted a victory celebration. Dozens of TRC service recipients turned out for the event, cheering the runners as they completed their journey. As is tradition, Laurel presented Mayor Frey with a Laurel Run T-shirt.
The following day in Silver Creek saw cooler-than-normal temperatures, which were welcomed by those used to warm, humid weather for Laurel Run. A record number of people (106) took part in the 8k run, while more than 140 people tackled the 5k walk.
In a tight contest, Joseph Ver, 19, of Hamburg held off David Rappleyea, 22, of Brockport to win the 8k race by three seconds, in a time of 27 minutes, 58 seconds. Robert Taylor, 20, of Tonawanda was third in 28:10. Among women, Rachel Rhodes, 21, of Salamanca crossed the line first in 34:18, six seconds ahead of 15-year-old Kim Vona of Angola. Lydia Samuelson, 41, of Ashville was third, another eight seconds back.
Prize money ($100 for first place, $75 for second, $50 for third) was awarded to the top three male and female finishers in the 8k run. Robert and Rachel generously declined their winninbgs and donated the money back to Laurel Run.
In the 5k walk, confusion about the race route caused some people to go off course. In the end, 9-year-old Jacob Lewis of Silver Creek was the first person to cross the finish line in a time of 35:45. Betty Jo Gabel-Lewis, 41, of Silver Creek was the first woman, finishing in 35:49. In the team competition of the 5k Walk, the winners were the Fearless Walkers, followed by Jim White’s Truck & Auto and Crazy 8.
Participants hit their stride at the start of the 5-kilometer walk.
Results from the 8k run and 5k walk may be found online by visiting http://www.buffalorunners.com.
Several people from TRC recorded fine performances. In the 8k run, Mariusz Klimczuk, Physical Therapy Assistant, placed second in his age group, while Bruce Main took third in his. Wayne Hotelling, a member of The Resource Center’s Board of Directors, was first in his age group. In the 5k walk, first-place winners in their age groups were Michelle Wood, Administrative Assistant, and Tess Kerzner, Social Services Clinical Specialist. Debbie Brown, Director of Day Services, placed second in her age group, while Hannah Stoll, Community Living Specialist, was third in hers. 
Tony Torres, who participates in the Dunkirk Work Center Program and lives in the Individualized Residential Alternative in Westfield, was second in his group. And Eric Mackowiak accomplished a personal goal by completing the walk. (See related story.)
Rachel Rhodes wins the women’s 8-kilometer run.
Following the run and walks, fun runs were held for children age 7 and younger. Then came Laurel Run's signature event, Laurel's Lap, in which dozens of individuals with disabilities — most from TRC, but also many who do not receive services from our agency — took a lap around the track surrounding the ball field in downtown Silver Creek.
Volunteers assist individuals with disabilities in tackling Laurel’s Lap.
While all this was taking place, there also was a free party in the Village Park featuring free food and beverages, $1 and $5 auctions, and live music courtesy of Tony Pearl, "The Great Lakes Drifter."
As usual, a number of TRC service recipients volunteered to support Laurel Run by taking part in the flag relay, cheering on the runners, helping with registration, and handing water to the racers. Their energy and excitement were incredible.
"Expansion" was the watchword of the 2007 Laurel Run, as organizers undertook several initiatives to increase the event's success. Happily, each one worked.
Laurel Run was created in 1997 by Wayne Hotelling and his wife, Elaine, in honor of their oldest daughter, who has Down syndrome and participates in TRC's Work 
Center Program on East Chestnut Street in Dunkirk. Wayne and Elaine are Laurel Run’s biggest cheerleaders and work hard throughout the year to make each event a success. The Laurel Run Planning Committee decided to try several new things for the 11th annual event. First, arrangements were made with the Observer to print a Laurel Run edition July 11. Volunteers sold the newspapers on the streets, raising $2,000. (See related story.)
Laurel Hotelling proudly displays the ribbon she received for completing Laurel’s Lap.
Since TRC has a tradition of supporting food fund-raisers, we tried to raise some money by focusing on people's appetites. Pizza Hut in Fredonia gave a portion of its July 16 profits to Laurel Run, while within TRC, a sandwich sale among staff was held July 19. Combined, those two fund-raisers generated more than $400 for TRC Foundation.
In addition, the annual Kwik Fill/Red Apple Food Mary promotion (in which participating locations sell paper Laurel Run sneakers to customers) was expanded to Erie County, NY. While the final numbers have yet to be tabulated, it is expected that the sneaker sales will generate several thousand dollars.
In terms of Laurel Run itself, a 1-mile Fun Walk was added to the list of events for people who wanted to support Laurel Run but didn't want to walk the traditional 5-kilometer (3.1-mile walk). Several people expressed appreciation for this addition.
Otherwise, Laurel Run went pretty much according to schedule.
Proceeds from Laurel Run go to TRC Foundation to support The Resource Center's disability awareness and prevention programs. Money raised through Laurel Run also enhances employment and work training opportunities for adults with disabilities at TRC's Work Centers.
We thank everyone who participated in Laurel Run as a runner/walker or volunteer, and we send our gratitude out to our sponsors. Kwik Fill/Red Apple Food Mart, the Observer and NRG Dunkirk Operations were our major sponsors, but a number of other companies provided critical support as well: City of Dunkirk, Dunkirk Moose Lodge, ENB Insurance Agency, Filling the Gap, Hae Jude Custom Signs, Hanford Market, Martins, NAPA Silver Creek Auto Parts, Native Pride, New Vision Services, 96Kix-FM, Dr. Stephen Pericak, Petri Baking Products, Pro Oil, Quality Markets, Village of Silver Creek, Support Enterprises, Tim Hortons, Uncle Sam’s Unlimited, Univera, Jim White’s Truck & Auto Center, XPress Promotional Solutions, and many others.
Click here for Paul Cesana's comments and here for his letter to the Observer.
Mark your calendars and plan to join us Saturday, July 19, 2008, for the 12th annual Laurel Run!
Related Resources:
· Letter to the Editor of the Observer
. 2007 Laurel Run Sponsors
