Allied’s Corporate officers and WNEP-TV’s Ryan Leckey pose with the check presented on Friday morning. $507,054 was raised for this year’s endeavor and WNEP’s Ryan’s Run was once more named a silver star charity, a designation that puts it on par with global organizations like UNICEF.
Courtesy of Ryan’s Run Facebook page | Allied Services Corporate Offices
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Paul Shaffer of West Pittston takes part in the Ryan’s Run All Abilities 5K. This event is referred to as the ‘Super Bowl’ of Ryan’s Run fundraising endeavors and is family-friendly and open to all skill levels.
Courtesy of Paul Shaffer
From left, Chris Langley of Kingston, Audra Hughes of Wilkes-Barre, and Jim Brogna of Mountain Top, pose with their medals for completing the 50th running of New York’s TCS Marathon.
Courtesy of Allied Services’ Charlotte Wright
Shane Bradley, Swoyersville, hits his stride in his Ryan’s Run 12 gear.
Courtesy of Allied Services’ Charlotte Wright
From left: Dr. Kenneth Tomczyk, Scranton; Russell Oelschlager, Bear Creek (kneeling); Chris Steiner, Drums; Chris Langely, Kingston; Nathan Fisher, Winfield (crouching); Jim Brogna, Mountain Top; Gary Puhalla, Olyphant; Brian Feist, Mountain Top take the time to pose for a photo.
Courtesy of Allied Services’ Charlotte Wright
Crystal Wright, Mountain Top and Jill Snowdon of Dallas crack smiles, showing a spirit that does indeed, ‘inspire fitness, challenge disability, and change lives.’
Courtesy of Allied Services’ Charlotte Wright
CLARKS SUMMIT — WNEP’s Ryan’s Run 12 has come to an end and the final dollar amount raised — released Friday morning — is a staggering $507,054.
Every cent of the funds raised by runners in this month’s 2021 TCS New York City Marathon will stay local at Allied Services, where it will be used to provide top-notch care to children and adults with disabilities.
This year’s Ryan’s Run fundraising efforts started officially on Aug. 19 with an event at Mohegan Sun Pocono, but it’s worth nothing that fundraising happens all year, as they’ll never say “no” to a donation.
Over the course of its 12 years, Ryan’s Run has raised well over $4 million, but those involved with the efforts aren’t surprised by the support and willingness to give.
Ryan Leckey of WNEP-TV’s Leckey Live and namesake/face of the fundraising effort said he’s not surprised by the support. “The people of this area have huge hearts,” he said, “This area knows how to rally when times get tough. We have each other’s backs.”
This sentiment was echoed by Allied Services (the fundraiser’s beneficiary) Vice President, Strategic Partnership Development, Jim Brogna of Mountain Top. Brogna reflected on the Hurricane Agnes flooding of 1972 and the “Valley with a Heart” slogan that was adopted during that time. He likened that, and the community support of the time and the most recent efforts in coping the Coronavirus pandemic to the heart shown in fundraising for this cause.
Perhaps the greatest reflection of the willingness to give in this area is in the runners themselves.
Paul Shaffer of West Pittston runs to support Allied’s efforts in helping those in need, saying: “Allied Services does a whole lot of help by getting state of the art equipment to help people in need, young and old.” Shaffer mentioned witnessing some of Allied’s patients run a few laps to, “show us how hard they worked at being able to run, walk, or just be mobile again. Really tugs at the heart strings.”
Allied Services, whose slogan — masterminded by Charlotte Wright, Allied’s Silver Charity team leader — is “Inspire fitness, challenge disability, and change lives” looks to its staff for suggestions on where to spend these generous donations. Brogna said, “We turn back to our staff and say, ‘What are the greatest needs in our healthcare system? And how can we make peoples’ lives better that are in our care, and help our staff be able to do their job the best?’”
Brogna trusts the staff to know what’s best, mentioning they’re on the “front lines” in caring for child patients in NICU or assisting in end-of-life care for veterans, and any and every situation in between.
This year’s running was extra-special, given that it was the 50th running of New York’s TCS Marathon, and the first year back after a layoff due to COVID-19 restrictions. Leckey mentioned that, “New York came back strong, and so did our team.” While there were only 33,000 participants, as opposed to the marathon-high 50,000, Leckey mentioned how, “it’s always cool to see our Ryan’s Run shirts peppered throughout New York’s five boroughs.” Although Leckey didn’t run this year due to a knee issue, he fondly reminisced on how motivating it is to see the supporters.
Out of the 33,000 participants, the team that represents Dallas resident Steve Davidowitz’s idea from 12 years ago has become one of the biggest teams in the marathon. With 68 runners registered for this year – although a few had to pull out – Brogna said, “it puts Allied in a really special place, worldwide.” One participant who represented RR12, Alessio Urbani, came all the way from Rome, Italy by way of the Philippines to show his philanthropic support.
The show of support for the NEPA charity earned it silver charity status — named by the New York Road Runners. This designation puts Ryan’s Run on par with organizations like UNICEF.
In regards to that honor, Brogna said, “We care about the people that we treat and in our communities, and to have the NYC marathon put us on that plateau and that stratosphere of a silver star charity — one of the largest in the world — is pretty special for us.”
What’s even more special is the giving spirit of NEPA and the surrounding area. While Brogna did mention the gracious support of several big-business names in the area, he said it’s the generosity of the every day citizen that has gotten the organization to where it is today.
“It’s kids in schools that are raising money and getting a Ryan’s Run wristband and giving a $5 donation, people pledging 30 dollars and getting their own Ryan’s Run exercise shirt, and maybe their goal is to do a 5K or something with exercise and fitness, so the fact that all of us who are not professional athletes, are able to achieve marathon status and that motivates them to have their own fitness goals and also at the same time inspires them to make a contribution to help us help others, then we think the campaign’s been pretty successful.”
It’s this portrait of the area that rings true through fundraising efforts — the spirit of the hard work that went into establishing this area, and the hard work that the residents put in day in and day out, carving out their slice of life. This same hard work goes into the “miracles in rehab” that Allied performs with its patients.
As Leckey put it, “Allied is a true fixture in this area. Not just helping to improve people’s lives with disabilities, but they’ve gotten athletes back in the game faster and even people walking again after a life-changing event such as a car crash or stroke.”
It’s easy to see how the spirit of perseverance, resolve, dedication and outstretched hands willing to help is indeed alive and well here.
In regards to what’s next for Ryan’s Run, as the 13th edition will come around quick, the ever-charismatic Leckey says, “…as we say in TV, ‘stay tuned.’”
