Steve Waterson, who has been involved with Laurel Run since the inaugural event in 1997, is registered to run in the “Princess Half Marathon” at Disney World at the end of February.  To raise money for Laurel Run, Steve has said he will run the 13.1-mile course dressed as a Disney character.

Steve, who also plans to run a few legs of this year’s Laurel Run Relay on July 20, created his own fund-raising page at www.firstgiving.com/trcfoundation.  In his online message to potential donors, Steve stated that anyone who makes a donation may suggest a Disney character.  He said he will dress up as whichever character receives the most votes.

In explaining why he is doing this, Steve said that as its name implies, the Princess Half Marathon is designed for women, though men are allowed to participate.  Many of the participants dress as Disney characters.  Steve said he wants to do well in the race, but that he realizes some onlookers may question his sportsmanship if, at the end, he’s sprinting toward the finish line, trying to beat women dressed as Cinderella, Tinkerbell and the Little Mermaid.

“So I decided to dress up too, and turn it into a fund-raiser for Laurel Run by allowing donors to suggest which character I’ll be,” Steve said.  “The goal is to get some laughs and to also raise money to support people with disabilities.”

The cutoff date for making a donation is Friday, February 17.  “Hopefully, that will give me enough time to create whichever character gets the most votes,” Steve said.  “Some of my friends and family members have pretty devious minds, so I’m expecting the worst in terms of costume suggestions.”

Through January 29, Steve had collected $260 in pledges.  “Peter Pan” was leading “Cinderella” by one vote.  Also gathering votes were “Prince Charming” and “The Mad Hatter.”

To make a secure, online donation and to cast your vote, visit www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/steven-waterson/laurel-run-relay-run-2012.  You also can make an offline donation by mailing a check made payable to “TRC/Laurel Run” to TRC Foundation, 200 Dunham Avenue, Jamestown, NY, 14701.  If paying by check, write the name of the Disney character you want Steve to be on the “Memo” line.

This is the third year in a row that Steve has raised money for Laurel Run by creating his own fund-raising web page.  He encourages others to consider doing the same thing.

“It’s really easy to set up your online fund-raising page through the Firstgiving web site, and you can link your page to your Facebook and Twitter accounts, add images from Flickr and upload videos from YouTube” Steve said.

He said that when he first created a fund-raising page two years ago, he was hesitant to e-mail his family and friends seeking money.  But he quickly found that people were eager to donate.

“Your family, friends and co-workers are actually happy to make a donation to support your cause,” Steve said, “and it’s extremely satisfying to send out an e-mail letting people know what you’re doing, and then receiving messages from Firstgiving letting you know that someone has donated.”

To further encourage people to raise money for Laurel Run, TRC Foundation provides incentives.  People can earn a $100 gift card for themselves simply by raising money for Laurel Run.

Ready to create your own fund-raising page and to start raising money?  Go to www.firstgiving.com/trcfoundation.

All day long, Pizza Hut will host a “Fun”draiser in honor of Laurel.  The restaurant will donate 20 percent of each order to Laurel Run, a fund-raising event created by Laurel’s parents, Wayne and Elaine Hotelling of Silver Creek.

The 16^th annual Laurel Run will be held July 20-21.  The event was created to celebrate the achievements of people with disabilities like Laurel, who has Down syndrome.  Laurel has a job at The Resource Center’s Mary Andrews Center on East Chestnut Street in Dunkirk, and Laurel Run seeks to raise public awareness about the potential that exists within everyone who has a disability.

Money raised through Laurel Run goes to TRC Foundation to support disability awareness and prevention efforts in Chautauqua County.  Laurel Run proceeds also are used to enhance employment and work training opportunities for adults with disabilities so that they can find a job and know the satisfaction that comes from earning real wages for performing meaningful work.

So plan on having lunch and/or dinner at Pizza Hut on February 7.  To have Pizza Hut donate 20 percent of your order to Laurel Run, you must fill out a coupon and give it to your server. Click here to view a printable form of the coupon; Pizza Hut likely will have extra coupons, so if you forget to bring the coupon with you, notify your server that you are there to support Laurel Run.   The fund-raising promotion also applies to take-out orders, so if you call to place your order, let Pizza Hut know you are supporting Laurel Run.

For more information on the Pizza Hut event, phone the restaurant at 672-4044.  If you have questions about Laurel Run or would like to become involved in this year’s event, phone TRC Foundation at 661-4735 or call the Hotellings at 934-3952.

All day long, the Pizza Hut restaurant on Route 60 in Fredonia will donate 20 percent of the cost of the meal of anyone who was there to support Laurel Run.

Pizza Hut has been holding “Fun”draisers for Laurel Run for several years.  A “Fun”draiser held in February in connection with Laurel’s birthday raised $220.32.

In order to have 20 percent of your meal donated to Laurel Run, you must fill out the coupon below and present at the time of payment.  The promotion counts in for dine-in and takeout orders.

Greg Krauza, a member of TRC Foundation’s Board of Directors, sells newspapers during the 2010 sale. Each year, Greg coordinates a group of students to sell papers in downtown Fredonia.

Mark your calendars and plan to have some dollar bills with you, because the Observer’s annual Laurel Run newspaper sale will take place July 6.

Each year, Observer Publisher John D’Agostino and his staff stay up late one night to print a special Laurel Run edition of the paper.  Volunteers then set out around daybreak to sell the papers at various locations in the Northern Chautauqua County area.

More than 2,000 papers typically are sold.  The price is $1, but many people generously give more than that.  Proceeds from the sales benefit Laurel Run.

We are pleased to announce that the Tim Hortons restaurants in Dunkirk, Fredonia, Gowanda, and Irving again this year are permitting us to sell papers at those locations.  We also will be selling papers in front of Wal Mart and near Brooks Memorial Hospital.

We still could use some additional volunteers to help is sell between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m.  Volunteers will receive a 2011 Laurel Run T-shirt.  For more details or to volunteer, phone Vicky Bardo at 661-1477.

Customers who purchase a sneaker can write their name on the sneaker and have it displayed in the store.  The suggested donation is $1, but donations of any amount are appreciated.

Sneakers will be sold at participating locations in Chautauqua and Erie counties in New York, and in Warren County, PA, through July 17.  The sneakers, printed on gold-colored paper, bear an image of event namesake Laurel Hotelling.

Last year, the Kwik Fill/Red Apple locations raised $4,222 through the Laurel Run sneaker sales.  All the money raised in Chautauqua County goes to TRC Foundation to support disability awareness and prevention efforts, and to enhance employment and work training opportunities for adults with disabilities at The Resource Center’s Work Centers.

Money raised in Erie and Warren counties will be split 50/50 between TRC Foundation and organizations that support people with disabilities in each of those communities.  Money raised in Erie County will be shared with The Heritage Centers, while funds raised in Warren County will be shared with Bollinger Enterprises.

Support Laurel Run by buying a paper sneaker!

A design created by Katelyn Plecker of Silver Creek High School was the winner in an online poll operated on the Observer newspaper’s web site.

Initial voting conduced during the annual TRC Expo identified the six finalists.  For the second year in a row, the Observer posted the finalists on its web site and allowed people to cost votes for their favorite.  A total of 700 votes were cast.

Katelyn’s design will appear on the 2011 T-shirts and goody bags given to Laurel Run participants who have paid their registration fee.  The shirts have been ordered and should arrive the week of July 4.  The shirts also will be available for purchase for $10; phone 483-2344 for information.

For winning the contest, Katelyn received a $100 Visa gift card.

We congratulate Katelyn and all of the other students who submitted design for the contest, and we thank their teachers for having them participate.

Area residents showed their support for Laurel Hotelling and others with disabilities, turning out to raise money for Laurel Run by dining at Pizza Hut.

Laurel turned 48 years old on February 7, and for the third straight year the Pizza Hut on Route 60 in Fredonia held one of its “Fun”draisers to generate money for the event that bears her name. All day long February 7, Pizza Hut donated 20 percent of the cost of meals purchased by people who went there to support Laurel Run. At the end of the day, the net proceeds totaled $220.32, with the money going to TRC Foundation.

Laurel’s parents, Wayne and Elaine Hotelling of Silver Creek, created Laurel Run to celebrate the achievements of people with disabilities like Laurel, who has Down syndrome. Laurel has a job at The Resource Center’s Mary Andrews Center on East Chestnut Street in Dunkirk, and Laurel Run seeks to raise public awareness about the potential existing within everyone who has a disability.

The 15th annual Laurel Run will be held July 15-16. The first day will consist of a relay run from Jamestown to Dunkirk, with students and faculty from area schools running the different legs of the relay. The following morning in Silver Creek, there will be an 8-kilometer run, a 5k walk, a 1k fun walk, children’s runs, and “Laurel’s Lap,” in which anyone with a disability is invited to take a lap around the track surrounding the ball field in downtown Silver Creek. In the afternoon there will be a motorcycle dice run.

Laurel Run is an event that is dear in the hearts of people with disabilities, and it provides an opportunity for individuals with disabling conditions to come together with their non-disabled peers for a fun, community activity.

Money raised through Laurel Run is directed to TRC Foundation to support disability awareness and prevention efforts in Chautauqua County. Laurel Run proceeds also are used to enhance employment and work training opportunities for adults with disabilities so that they can find a job and know the satisfaction that comes from earning real wages for performing meaningful work.

If you missed the “Fun”draiser, you’ll get another chance to participate – Pizza Hut plans to do another one in July.

For more information about becoming involved in this year’s Laurel Run, phone TRC at 661-4735 or call the Hotellings at 934-3952.

The Chautauqua Striders Running & Walking Club’s “Runner of the Year” series is composed of 10 races ranging in distance from 3 miles to 15 kilometers. There will be separate divisions for males and females. Anyone who enters any of the 10 series races automatically is entered into the Runner of the Year Series. Participants will try to accumulate points in the overall competition and in the age-group competition.

For the overall competition, points will be awarded in each race as follows:

Points also can be earned in the following age groups: 15-19; 20-24; 25-29, 30-34; 35-39, 40-44; 45-49, 50-54; 55-59, 60-64; 65-69; 70 and older. Points in the age-group competition will be awarded as follows:

For purposes of consistency, a competitor’s age for ALL of the series races will be that person’s age as of December 31, 2011. So, if you’re 39 the day of Laurel Run on July 16 and you’ll be turning 40 later in the year, you’ll be competing in the 35-39 group for Laurel Run awards, but for the Runner of the Year Series you will be competing in the 40-44 group.

For more information and a list of the races that comprise the Runner of the Year Series, visit www.chautauqua-striders.org.

During July, buy a paper sneakers in conjunction with the 15th annual Laurel Run.

For the nineth straight year, United Refining Company’s Kwik Fill and Red Apple Food Mart locations will be selling paper sneakers.  Customers who purchase a sneaker can write their name on the sneaker and have it displayed in the store.  The suggested donation is $1, but donations of any amount are appreciated.

Sneakers will be sold at participating locations in Chautauqua and Erie counties in New York, and in Warren County, PA.  The sneakers bear an image of event namesake Laurel Hotelling.

Last year, the Kwik Fill/Red Apple locations raised $3,848.67 through the Laurel Run sneaker sales.  All the money raised in Chautauqua County goes to TRC Foundation to support disability awareness and prevention efforts, and to enhance employment and work training opportunities for adults with disabilities at The Resource Center’s Work Centers.

Money raised in Erie and Warren counties is split 50/50 between TRC Foundation and an organization that supports people with disabilities in each of those communities.  Money raised in Erie County will be shared with The Heritage Centers, while funds raised in Warren County will be shared with Bollinger Enterprises.

Laurel Run was created by Wayne and Elaine Hotelling of Silver Creek in honor of their oldest daughter, who has Down syndrome.  Laurel Run seeks to raise public awareness about individuals with disabilities while providing an opportunity for people with disabling conditions to come together with their non-disabled peers in a fun, community-wide atmosphere.

This year’s Laurel Run takes place July 16.  The first day consists of the traditional Jamestown-to-Dunkirk flag relay, which features students and adults from schools throughout Chautauqua County running legs of the relay.  The following day in Silver Creek, featured activities include an 8-kilometer run, a 5k fitness walk, a 1k fun walk, children’s runs, and “Laurel’s Lap,” in which anyone with a disability is invited to take a lap around the track surrounding the village ball field.  There also will be a motorcycle dice run.