Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Crawford | Jacob Greco crosses the finish line, held by 1st Sgt. Kathleen Sciortino and Capt....... read more read more
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ALLISON PARK, Pa. – Before the sun rose and the temperature climbed above 40 degrees, more than 500 people gathered at the North Park boathouse for the third annual Run for the Wounded Warrior Nov. 3.
The event began with the Naval Sea Cadets presenting the colors for the national anthem. Local organizations and military units, such as the 316th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), gathered nearby to show their support for the event.
“It gives the public an idea that we’re maybe half a percent of the population serving the military,” said Capt. Robert Szabo, an intelligence officer for the 316th ESC. “It lets people know we’re defending our country and trying to reach out to the public.”
In addition to the more than 500 preregistered participants, nearly a hundred more veterans and members of the community made the commitment to brave the early-morning cold and show their support. Val Przezdecki, who served in the Army from 1968-1970, showed up even though he was recovering from an injury.
“I could not pass this up,” said Przezdecki, a former infantryman. “The support these days for the military is so much stronger than way back when.”
The Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative organized the run to raise funds and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project and the National Organization on Disability. The WWP aims to raise awareness of the needs of severely injured service members and provide them with unique, direct programs and services. The NOD helps service members connect with and sustain careers.
PTEI, established in 1996, conducts research and clinical trials for regenerative medicine for facial reconstruction or using stem cells to grow or transplant digits and potentially limbs.
“We’re closely tied to the military in wanting to regenerate living tissue,” said Charlotte Emig, research program manager for PTEI. “We wanted to reach out to the community to let them know what PTEI does, what the city of Pittsburgh is doing for the wounded soldier in a community event like this.
“Sometimes people don’t know the great things that are going on,” said Emig, a former Marine. “Here, we can have booths and let people know the research that is going on. It’s a way to get the word out to the families that we’re here and have therapies if their family members are injured.”
The first run in 2010 raised less than $20,000 for the project, and last year’s run raised more than $80,000. In addition to registration proceeds and corporate donations leading up to the event, the PTEI continued to receive donations even after the event concluded.
“We’re in the middle of wartime, our soldiers are coming back, and it’s in the hearts of everyone,” said Emig. “Almost every single person who registered has a family member; they know someone, or they themselves have served, and it’s heart warming.”
| Date Taken: | 11.05.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 11.05.2012 12:01 |
| Story ID: | 97307 |
| Location: | ALLISON PARK, PA, US |
| Hometown: | WEXFORD, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 176 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Community runs to raise funds, awareness for wounded warriors, by SSG Michael Crawford, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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