HUBBARD Raising funds in long run

Money from pledges will help to fund scholarships.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- A Penn State Shenango student is combining her love of running with fund raising for a campus summer program for young people.
Lynn Beck of Chestnut Ridge Road, Hubbard, is seeking pledges and donations for her run Monday in the Boston Marathon. The money will be donated to the campus College for Kids program.
Beck, 37, is a sophomore in the Human Development and Family Studies program at Penn State Shenango and a paralegal at Lewis & amp; Ristvey, a Hermitage law firm.
This will be her third marathon, but she's been a runner since high school, specializing in the two-mile event.
Previous marathons: She ran her first sanctioned marathon with her husband, Kerry, while they were on their honeymoon in Hawaii in November 1999. She ran in the Pittsburgh Marathon in May 2000, finishing 19th with a time of 3:33:33.
That was fast enough to qualify her for the Boston Marathon in her age group, she said.
Beck had hoped to raise $2,000, thinking at first that a lot of businesses would be willing to support her effort. She said the business community hasn't come through for her yet, but she's getting a lot of support from individuals and the college community, though her total is still well below the $2,000 mark.
She decided to combine her running with a worthwhile cause and asked Steve Hessmann, director of institutional advancement at Penn State Shenango, for some suggestions.
Targeted program: "My first thought was our College for Kids program," Hessmann said, noting the campus has been able to raise money to support dozens of scholarship requests for the summer program for school pupils. The tuition is $125 per pupil.
Beck took up the challenge.
"I've always had a source of energy," Beck said, noting that people have been telling her to slow down all her life.
She intends to keep running.
It may be a trait she's passed on to her daughter, Jenifer, 17, who runs track and cross country for Hickory High School.
Beck also has two sons, David, 15, and Ian, 14.
XAnyone wishing to sponsor her Boston Marathon run can call the campus University Relations office at (724) 983-2905.