Y plans community all-nighter to raise thousands
DELMAR – Who says there’s no night life in Bethlehem?
This weekend you can walk, run or cheer at the Bethlehem Branch of the Capital District YMCA starting at 5 p.m. March 1, for the Y’s first 24-hour non-stop walk/run “Strides for the Y” fundraising event. During this time a temporarily-stationed treadmill in the Y lobby will host a different walker/runner every hour to raise money for Y programs.
Both Y staff and local familiar faces like Bethlehem School Superintendent Jody Monroe and school board member John Walston, Town Board member and Y Advisory Council member David Decancio, Bethlehem Parks & Recreation Department Administrator Jason Gallo,will walk/run through their slotted hour. Anthony Berghela, Romo’s Pizza’s owner, will also take an hour lap.
Participants hope to raise at least $15,000 towards the Y’s $100,000 annual fundraising campaign that ends March 31. At present, only $62,000 has been raised.
Funding will pay for various Y community programs, including 75 Thanksgiving baskets for local families and veterans, 50 backpacks filled with school supplies for Bethlehem school district students, and 133 weeks of Y summer day camp. Fundraising will also pay for “LIVESTRONG® at the Bethlehem YMCA”, a nationwide Y program providing 12 weeks‘ Y membership to cancer survivors and their families, and exercise, yoga and reflection classes tailored to survivors.
Bethlehem Area Branch Y Executive Director Mark Thurman said people should understand that the Y is a not-for-profit and much more than a gym. “We want people to know that we are a charitable organization that provides quality programming for people in the community to learn and thrive.” Decancio said, “the Y brings the community together and we are coming together to raise awareness of the Y because of its importance to our community and its families.”
Thurman said fundraising also helps pay for Y membership scholarships for those in need. He noted that the Y never refuses membership because of inability to pay. Even people who normally could afford a Y membership may be hit with a job loss or significant medical bills and need a membership scholarship, Thurman explained.
And Thurman is leading the way by both contributing to the annual campaign and taking on the 2 a.m. slot. Four other Y staff members, Paige Murtaugh, Rusty Decker, Mikayla Pierce, and Zach Reed, will share his commitment by also participating in late night and pre-dawn “runs”.
Bethlehem Chamber President Terri Egan is taking the 8 a.m. hour. Calling the event “fun and creative”, she plans to “jog some and walk some.” Egan lauded the Y’s purposes. “I and the Chamber are very supportive of the Y and this is a small way I can give back,” she said.
The Y’s Advisory council’s co-chairs Jim Foster and Ryan Venter dreamed up the treadmill-a-thon after Venter ran 40 miles for his 40th birthday and raising $10,000 that he donated to the Y. “While we can’t ask everyone to run 40 miles, we hope to build on that success and focus on the healthy living aspects of the Y,” Foster said. “We hope that folks who may not otherwise see the Y as anything other than as a gym will come out, help raise money, get some exercise and learn more about the Y.”
Venter, described by Foster as an avid runner, has volunteered, if needed for multiple shifts and even the “red-eye express”, but Foster expects each hourly slot will be filled. For his part, Foster, an Elsmere fire department volunteer firefighter, plans to complete his treadmill time in his fire gear boots, pants, jacket and helmet. He said he has not yet decided whether he will wear the airpack, which weighs an additional 20 pounds. “That’s a same time decision,” he laughed.
Decancio encouraged the public to come cheer on the “treadmilers”. “Some of us, like me, might need that support.” Decancio will start his 7 p.m. hour by running but “will see how long I can run for.”
Foster is “guardedly optimistic” the event will meet the Y’s fundraising goals, but “we can’t do it without the support of friends and the community.” Every little bit helps,” he said. Anyone interested in donating can attend the event and bring cash, check, pay by QR code or use the donation link at https://secure.qgiv.com/event/stridesforthey.
“This is our first annual Strides for the Y,” Thurman said. “We will see what happens. Next year maybe we will want to do 48 hours.”
