Danbury parish sponsors race to benefit Chornobyl's victims (10/18/98)

Danbury parish sponsors race to benefit Chornobyl's victims

DANBURY, Conn. - Holy Trinity Orthodox Church on September 19, held its second annual 5K road race to benefit the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund. The Saturday morning race drew a field of 138 runners from as far away as Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Georgia.

In addition to the main event, several dozen children raced for medals in a one-kilometer "Kids Fun Run," and a group of older participants took part in a non-competitive "Health Walk."

The overall winner for all age categories was Sergio Ribeiro, who finished the course in a record-breaking time of 14:58. The women's winner was Kathy George, who finished in 21:42.

The 5K race began on Roberts Avenue, near the campus of Western Connecticut State University, and threaded its way through the streets of Danbury with the help of police roadblocks and scores of volunteers who assisted with traffic control. Following the race, parishioners from the Holy Trinity Church provided free refreshments, including spring water, New England apples, fresh bagels and plates of homemade Ukrainian varenyky, which have become a staple of parish fund-raisers and a local delicacy in the Danbury area.

The race received extensive publicity in western Connecticut thanks to a popular radio station, I-Rock, which broadcasts "rock classics" on 95.1 on the FM dial. On the day of the race, the radio station sent a mobile van to the race site and broadcast live from the finish line. Among the corporate sponsors who made cash or in-kind contributions to the fund-raiser were: Wheat-First Securities, optometrist Dr. Lorraine Fedyna, Danbury Holiday Inn, Evian/Dannon, the Village Inn (Lenox, Mass.), Einstein Brothers' Bagels, Accuquik Car Care and Western Connecticut State University.

This was the fourth major fund-raiser for the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund sponsored by Holy Trinity Orthodox Church within the past year. With only 60 parishioners, Holy Trinity has raised thousands of dollars for the CCRF by mobilizing local businesses and activists and by raising public awareness about the global impact of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.

During the awards ceremony at the conclusion of the September 19 race, CCRF's Director of Development Alex Kuzma thanked the Rev. Luke Mihaly and all the parishioners of Holy Trinity for their outstanding efforts on behalf of the children of Chornobyl. He also thanked all the corporate sponsors, volunteers and the 172 adults and children who took part in the athletic competition.

Proceeds from the September road race will go to support the CCRF's 20th humanitarian airlift scheduled for November. The CCRF has already assembled $2.5 million worth of cargo for this medical mission that is targeting hospitals and clinics in Vinnytsia, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk.

For more information, or to make a financial contribution, write to: CCRF, 272 Old Short Hills Road, Short Hills, NJ 07078; or call: (973)376-5140 or (203) 407-0261. CCRF's e-mail address is: [email protected]; the CCRF website may be accessed at: www.ccrf-iccf.org, or www.childrenofchomobyl.org.

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