Racers Make It Count
Walkers and runners roll up contributions
By Frank Brieaddy
Nineteen-year-old Adam Wasileski of Manlius provided the speed at the
third
annual Human Race. The former Fayetteville-Manlius track standout finished
first Saturday morning with a time of 26 minutes, 59 seconds.
An hour and a half later, Tammy Jones of Liverpool provided the day's
inspiration. After falling face first out of her wheelchair and onto
the
street in the 5-kilometer walk, Jones insisted on being wheeled over
the
finish line in the middle of P&C Stadium's field on an ambulance
stretcher.
She was raising money for the Huntington's Disease Support Group.
"She wasn't going to give this up," said her mother, Roxanne.
The crowd gave her a cheer and a round of applause for her determination.
About 400 runners and 1,100 walkers raised money for 190 nonprofit
groups,
charities, schools and churches in The Human Race, said Nan Strickland,
director of The Volunteer Center Inc., which organizes the event. Including
nonregistered participants, more than 2,000 people were at the stadium.
Volunteer race director Peggy Morgan said it will take some time to
tally up
the event's earnings, but suggested that they'll be higher than the
$73,000
earned last year, perhaps even as much as $100,000.
The event is a joint fund-raising, networking and community spirit
generator
organized by the Volunteer Center, which takes a 25 percent cut of
money
raised by participating groups for its administration.
A new incentive program that returns a greater percentage to groups
raising
more money appears to have worked.
A large team of walkers and runners from Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare
was
at $4,300 and still counting the money coming in Saturday, compared
to
$2,800 earned last year.
Because the agency raised more than $3,500, it will keep 80 percent
of what
its team collects. If donations top $5,000, the agency will get 82
percent.
"It was an incentive," SBH president Robert Shear said. "We went to
more of
the people we do business with and asked them to support us.
"We put their names on our shirts," he added, turning around to show
off the
benefactors.
P&C Stadium was filled with the colorful team shirts of groups
that have
taken to The Human Race and are gaining more income from it every year.
"It's fun here. I think I'll run next year," said Melanie Stevens of
Syracuse, who was raising money with a group of 10 people for the American
Youth Hostel.
About 50 people raised more than $1,000 for Transitional Living Services,
and had a great time doing it, according to their leader, Aileen Jackowsky.
"Every year we have more people and more money," she said. "It's taken
on a
life of its own. Just for the morale, it's great."
The event, she said, allows staff and their families, as well as agency
clients, to raise money and enjoy a good time.
Michella Haas, the parent aid director for the Alliance Division of
Catholic
Charities, said the $600 her group will get will be used to buy things
for
the poor families they serve. Most of the money her agency spends is
strictly governed, leaving little room for creativity.
"It's big money," she said of the extra cash, "and we'll be able to
do some
special things for our families."
The merger of United Way of Central New York and the Volunteer Center
contributed to a smoother-running event, with more staff to register
runners
and count the money they turned over.
Wasileski, the winner, ran with a team that raised money for Hope for
Bereaved. The women's winner, Michelle LaFleur, visiting her parents
in
Memphis, finished in 29 minutes and 31 seconds and raised cash for
Vera
House.
Sunday, June 20, 1999
Human Race dangles carrot for runners
An incentive program will give extra money to the biggest fund-raisers.
By Frank Brieaddy
The Volunteer Center hopes a new formula that benefits the most successful
fund-raising groups
will give a boost to this year's edition of the Human Race, a walk
and run
in which all local nonprofits groups can make money working together.
In
its first two years, the event rallied thousands of participants and
generated about $150,000, with 75 percent of the money going to dozens
of
local charities and 25 percent going to the Volunteer Center for
administration. This year, the Human Race has an incentive plan
that will
return 80 percent of the money raised to groups generating $3,500 or
more in
income, and 82 percent to those that top the $5,000 mark. The
new formula
was suggested by the most successful participants last year and adopted
to
encourage all groups to bring in more walkers and runners, said Nan
Strickland, United Way of Central New York vice president in charge
of the
Volunteer Center. "Francis House, which was high last year (in
earnings),
suggested it," Strickland said. The hospice has raised about $7,600
at the
Human Race over the past two years. The group that might benefit
the most
from the new formula, St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center, will not
officially participate this year. Its team generated $5,157 in 1998,
the
highest for any group, and earned a check of $3,868. Robert A.
Vaccarelli,
the hospital's vice president for community relations and development,
said
his volunteers backed off from this year's event because they are stretched
too thin already with commitments to other events. "We looked
at
everything, including the returns, and we decided this is the one (event)
we
couldn't be involved in this year," he said. Even though it isn't
officially participating, St. Joseph's could still make money from
the Human
Race. Anyone can sign up for either the 5-kilometer fun walk or the
8-kilometer certified run and designate cash or pledges to any nonprofit
group, church or school in the area. Both events leave P&C Stadium
at 8 a.m.
Saturday. About 187 organizations have already registered with
the race,
which isn't necessary to receive money, according to Scott Winner of
the
Volunteer Center. About 100 of the participating agencies will set
up booths
at P&C Stadium to explain their work, network with other groups
and recruit
volunteers. The event earned $77,455 for 193 charities in 1997
and $72,654
for 141 groups last year, including the Volunteer Center's cut.
With St.
Joseph's out, the SUNY Health Science Center might be the biggest contingent
this year. Winner said different units of the teaching hospital registered
separately in the past, but are acting as a team this year. Syracuse
Behavioral Healthcare, which treats people with alcohol and drug addictions,
also is recruiting a large team, according to Denise Green, the
organization's bookkeeper. She said the new funding formula is an incentive
to raise money for client needs that aren't covered by insurance or
government payments. "The more we raise, the higher the percentage
is that
we keep that goes back into the fund for our clients," she said.
Winner
said he expects the Human Race - underwritten by the Rosamond Gifford
Charitable Corp. - to draw more than the 1,500 participants it had
last
year. Organizations may sign up from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday on the
first floor
of Carousel Center or can contact the Volunteer Center at 474-7014.
Individual participants can register at 7 a.m. Saturday and select
any
charity to receive the pledges they collect. Sunday, June 13,
1999