Running with Hope
Published: June 5, 2009
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Carbondale Area High School students Naria Kendricks and Nicollette Gauthier (second and third from left) present DeFazio with a check for the money they raised.
Organizers of the event, from left, Bob McDonald Jr., John Gigliotti, Gary Smedley, Barb McDonald, Marlene DeFazio, Brooke McDonald, Matt Suchy and Marcy Kaczmarcik.
Other than being very serious ailments, you might not think there’s much of a connection between endometrial/ovarian cancer and juvenile diabetes. But once a year in Carbondale, residents devoted to raising funds for research and education on both these conditions join forces for the Barb Consagra/Bob McDonald Memorial walk/run. The race celebrates the life of Carbondale Area High School track coach Barbara Consagra, who lost her battle with ovarian cancer in 2003, and Carbondale resident Bob McDonald, who lost his life to juvenile diabetes. Marlene DeFazio, a close friend of Consagra’s, and McDonald’s wife, Barbara, are the organizers of the event. The Consagra Foundation of Hope awards the Barb Consagra Scholarship, an annual $500 grant to a boy and girl track athlete from Carbondale Area. In addition, DeFazio said, more than $3,000 has gone to local residents with ovarian cancer“ who can’t afford medications or sometimes even groceries.” In addition, the Northeastern Chapter of the Oncology Nurses Society has received four educational grants. Meanwhile, McDonald has raised money to send a child to diabetes camp and has also established a scholarship grant for kids with diabetes. This year kids at Carbondale Area pitched in: Two students, Naria Kendricks and Nicollette Gauthier, raised money by putting streaks in the hair of students (and some teachers) to commemorate Consagra. In the race the winners were: Age 18 and younger: Stephen Skierski and Erika Ogozaly. Ages 19-29: Sean Mangan and Stacy Cummings. Ages 30-39: Brian Thomas and Ellen Krantz-Buskovitz. Ages 40-49: Dan Dragwa and Maureen Martin. Ages 50-59: Ed Lipski and Deb McNamara. Ages 60-69: Kirk Newson. Ages 70-79: Rich Hanse. The top three walkers were Thomas Moore, Lisa Levine and Mary Skierski. For more information on the Consagra Foundation of Hope, call 498-3851. For more information about the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, call 282-5277.
