300 Lace Up For Mazzola 5K Run/Walk
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The Mazzolas and Huntington YMCA staff celebrate the 11th year of the annual Marcie Mazzola Memorial 5K Walk/Run. From left are: Paul Mazzola, Fran Picone, Nancy Mazzola, Anne Brigis, Frank McDonald, Christopher Capece, Abigail Capece, Christina Butcher, Leslie Brennan and Brittany Mueller.
By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com
More than 300 participants laced up their running shoes on April 2 to join the 11th annual Marcie Mazzola Memorial 5K Walk/Run held at the Huntington YMCA. The event raised funds toward the Huntington YMCA’s Summer Camp scholarship program.
As participants ran and walked through the streets of Huntington and around Heckscher Park, the non-competitive Kids Fun Run for ages 10 and under was held on the grounds of the YMCA, located at 60 Main Street in Huntington.
The foundation was named after Marcie Mazzola, a 21-year-old from Commack, who was involved in a civil lawsuit before she died in a car accident in 2002. The lawsuit was against a school bus driver who was accused of sexually abusing her when she was 11 years old. Even with Marcie no longer able to testify, her family and attorney pressed on and eventually won the case.
The 5K run/walk keeps the memory of Mazzola alive and impacts the lives of local children, with all proceeds to be donated to Huntington YMCA’s Summer Camp Scholarship Program.
The program offers students the opportunity to attend summer camp, where they make friends, swim, and participate in a positive and creative atmosphere.
Last year, the foundation raised $30,000 for the program, which provided 209 children financial assistance to attend summer camp, including seven children from a local homeless shelter.
Huntington YMCA Executive Director Frank McDonald said that the 5K run/walk is an event the facility looks forward toevery year and are “incredibly proud of the impact these funds make to enhance quality of life for local children.”
“Through our combined efforts over the last decade, we have been able to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of local children by providing financial aid to parents to send their children to camp at the Huntington YMCA,” he added. “We see firsthand the invaluable benefit our summer camp scholarship program provides on a regular basis.”
Funds raised from the 5K run/walk will provide 70 weeks of camp to children who deserve a summer day camp experience. With that, 23 kids are expected to attend three-week sessions of the YMCA Summer Day Camp.
