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OVER $4,000 RAISED AS MCAULIFFE RUNS FOR VETS
By Keith Hagarty
 | | --Photos By Keith Hagarty Hundreds of students and community members laced up their running shoes on Monday to compete in races during McAuliffe Middle School's EighthAnnual Run For Vets. |
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Runners take your mark!
With the cheers of support from family and friends, hundreds of runners gathered on Monday's crisp, sunny afternoon to take part in McAuliffe Middle School's Eighth Annual Run For Vets.
This year's race day raised about $4,000 for the Veterans of the Vietnam War, Post 3, which will use the funds for their education fund and support packages for Beacon House, a program which provides housing for homeless military veterans.
The money from this year's event nearly doubled the total amount raised from last year's race day.
"It gets better every year," said Principal Kevin DiEugenio. "It's evolved into a really good, homegrown community event, and this year really had that feel to it. It was more intimate than most of our events, where the people that have come back tended to bring a few more different people with them."
One of the highlights for DiEugenio at this year's event was the 10 U.S. veterans who spoke to the students during an hour long assembly held before the races. The veterans spanned the generations of global warfare, relaying stories to the kids and teachers about their experiences on the front lines, from World War II and the Korean War to the Vietnam War and current battles raging in the deserts of the Middle East.
"It was so nice because I got to sit down with them and really trade stories," said DiEugenio, whose brother served three tours of duty in Iraq. "For instance, the World War II veteran was telling us how he was injured in battle, and telling his stories of how he washed up in the South Pacific and had to trade his camouflage to some natives for two chickens that he cooked out in the woods until he got picked up (by the Allies) two days later."
Some of the other stories involved the struggles of war and the various injuries sustained by the veterans, such as the Korean War veteran who had to remove a silver dollar shard of shrapnel from his back after a landmine explosion.
As the personal tales of hardship, perseverance and patriotism continued, DiEugenio said he was impressed by the quiet, mesmerized expressions on the faces of the students and staff.
"What was nice was each one of the veterans had their own personal reasons of why Veterans Day should be important to the sixth graders that were there at the assembly," he said. "You could've heard a pin drop in there, as they told some funny stories and some sad stories."
Barry Rosenzweig, the former principal of Sylvia Rosenauer and Howard C. Johnson Elementary schools, also spoke to the kids about his experiences as a veteran.
"It was neat because a lot of those kids had Mr. R., as they called him, but he was also an Army veteran, and he told a story about how his father passed away- and he never even knew his dad- at Utah Beach during the D-Day invasion," said DiEugenio. "These are the kind of stories these kids heard, and when I say it was intimate, well, it was just awesome, in fact, several of my faculty were crying in the back."
DiEugenio applauded the efforts of teachers Nancy Dell'Osso and James Osmond, who coordinated the annual school race.
Dell'Osso, who has been organizing the annual event since its inception, said this year's event raised the bar even higher.
"We made more money this year than ever before," she said. "It always feels good when we can help out our veterans."
When asked during the pre-race assembly how many students currently had a loved one serving in the military, more than half raised their hands.
"I just think it's much more meaningful," Dell'Osso said of the veterans presence at the school. "My dad and my brother were both veterans, so I think that's where it all starts for me. But I just know that when the kids hear the stories firsthand from the veterans, they just develop more of an appreciation for what they've done, especially now with a lot of (the students) having family members in Iraq or serving overseas in the military, that brings it closer to home."
DiEugenio agreed.
"That's what it's all about," he said. "It gives me a great sense of pride, as their principal, to know that it's something they care about and are so polite to be able to listen and really be interested. With the kids, you can really see it in their faces, and their participation in the event was at an all-time high- I'm estimating probably between 300 to 400 of our students."
In addition to McAuliffe's students, family and friends, other community members who participated in the event included Jackson Police Officer Campbell Brown and the Teen Police Explorer Cadets, as well as dozens of students from Jackson's two high schools.
"It's gotten so popular that we've had to make our own high school division now," said DiEugenio. "It's definitely become a McAuliffe/ Liberty (High School) event now, where it always used to just be a McAuliffe thing. But what I found is that as Liberty has developed, it's really become just another culture, like our big sister school, if you will."
With that said, DiEugenio said he was also impressed by the contingency from Jackson Memorial High School, which included about 30 cadets from their ROTC program.
While the number of participating students and family donations was not excessively larger than last year's efforts, DiEugenio credited Osmond with devising a new approach for raising even more funds throughout the community.
"Jim is a young, aggressive guy, and went out and really marketed this event," DiEugenio said, pointing to Osmond's idea of allowing businesses to sponsor individual races, such as the "ShopRite Mixed Relay Race."
"He was very innovative in how he marketed this," said DiEugenio.
The $500 sponsors included Quality Inn of Cookstown and the Regency Club Apartments of Jackson; $250 sponsors include Twin City Jewelers of Lakewood, ShopRite of Jackson and the Millstone Elks #2613; with several more $100 sponsors from across the community. In addition, music for the race was provided free of charge, courtesy of DJ Jordan LaVundi, a friend of Vietnam War veteran Martin Neff.
All week the students and staff got a kick out of talking trash to each other on the school's morning talk show leading up to race day.
"There was a lot of jostling going back and forth for the Golden Boot Award," said DiEugenio. "I finished 30th in the One Mile Race (out of 100 racers), not too bad. I was even second in the adult division, not too bad at all."
With a bronzed boot atop a trophy, the prized Golden Boot Award is bestowed upon the faculty member with the fleetest feet during the student and staff mixed relay race.
"I came in second (in the mixed relay), and I was mad because I really wanted to win it this year," DiEugenio joked as he congratulated special education teacher Mike Sailuner for taking home this year's trophy.
"He was so funny because he's also our soccer coach, so he was scouting some of his real fast soccer players, and I told him he loaded his lineup because he had two kids who were lightening fast," he said. "They really were too, and they just did a great job."
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