Jul 16, 2025
Dr. John Vona
Now in its 29th year, the Laurel Memorial Run/Walk generates lots of smiles in its celebration of people with developmental disabilities. This year will be no exception, but with a twist as the event expands to improve the oral health of people with special needs.
The Laurel Run/Walk takes place over the course of two days. Activities begin Friday, July 18. A kickoff ceremony will be held at 8:00 a.m. in The Resource Center’s facility at 75 Jones & Gifford Avenue in Jamestown. At about 8:30, volunteer runners will set off on the initial leg of the relay run to Dunkirk. Representatives from The Resource Center and area school districts, as well as Sheriff Jim Quattrone and employees of the Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility in Brocton, will run the various legs of the relay while carrying Laurel Run flags. Patrol units from area law enforcement agencies accompany the runners to ensure their safety on the busy roads.
The relay run ends in the parking lot of The Resource Center’s facility at 186 Lake Shore Drive West in Dunkirk. The community is invited to attend the victory celebration and to cheer on the last set of relay runners, who are expected to arrive between 1 and 1:15.
For the 13th straight year, several people are planning to jog and/or bike the entire 31-mile relay route. That event is called the Laurel-thon.
Anyone wishing to run a portion of the flag relay, or to take on the Laurel-thon, is invited to do so. Phone 716-661-4735 for information.
This year’s logo was created by Silver Creek High School student Sebastian Yaskow.
Also on Friday, Laurel’s Legacy Lap will take place from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. at McCrea Point Park in Jamestown. For that free event, people with disabilities will complete a lap along the paved path at the park.
The main Laurel Run/Walk activities take place the following day in Silver Creek. Check-in and registration begin at 7:00 a.m. in the village square. At 8:30, a 5-kilometer running race, a 5k disability awareness walk and a 1k fun walk will begin, followed at 9:00 by an 8k running race.
For the 5k and 8k events, medals will be given to the top three male and female finishers in each age group. Besides the individual competition, there will be a team challenge. Awards will be given to the three fastest teams in both the 5k and the 8k, with each team’s time determined by the combined times of its first four finishers.
Saturday’s events also will include fun runs for children age 7 and younger starting at 10, followed by another Laurel’s Legacy Lap, which is for anyone with a disability.
The Laurel Run was created in 1997 by Silver Creek residents Wayne and Elaine Hotelling in honor of their daughter Laurel, who had Down syndrome. Thanks to the support she received from her family, her community and The Resource Center, Laurel had a full and productive life. She passed away in 2017 at the age of 54.
Money raised through the Laurel Run/Walk goes to Filling the Gap, Inc., which works with The Resource Center to improve the lives of people with disabilities and their families in Chautauqua County. Event proceeds are directed to The Resource Center Laurel Run Fund at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and are used to promote disability awareness initiatives and to enhance employment and work training opportunities for people with disabilities.
Beginning this year, a portion of the Laurel Run/Walk proceeds will be directed to the Dr. John Vona Smile Fund at the Community Foundation. This new fund was established by the children of Dr. Vona, a longtime dentist in Northern Chautauqua County who spent the last 20 years of his career at TRC Community Health Center. Dr. Vona, who died last year, was passionate about ensuring the oral health of people with disabilities, and the Smile Fund was created to provide money so people with special needs can access quality dental care.
Coincidentally, Dr. Vona was the dentist for Laurel Hotelling and the Hotellings’ other children. He also was a regular attendee at the Laurel Run/Walk events in Silver Creek, cheering on his granddaughter, Kim (Vona) Tomasik, who has won the women’s 8k race a record eight times.
To register to participate in one of the events or to make a donation, visit www.laurel-run.com.
An anticipated tasting event in the largest grape growing region East of the Rockies is coming to Chautauqua …
MAYVILLE – Village leaders are moving ahead with their own code enforcement. It was announced that the …
Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of New York, Inc. | https://www.observertoday.com | PO Box 391, Dunkirk, NY 14048 | 716-366-3000
