Steelathon serves up fun, provides funds to Rescue Mission
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
Alisha Schwartz, 19, has devoted much of her time recently to helping others overcome obstacles, so it’s not a stretch to imagine that her parents would find themselves coming over some of their own.
“This is the perfect mix, raising money and having fun,” said Alisha’s father, Robert Schwartz of Columbiana, referring to having participated in Saturday morning’s third annual Steelathlon Urban Adventure, a 3-mile run and obstacle course that began and ended at the Covelli Centre downtown.
Schwartz and his wife, Lisa, were among the estimated 150 people who took part in the fundraiser race, the proceeds of which will benefit the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley.
Previously, the race brought in between $500 and $1,000 each year for the mission, noted Erin Mellinger, event organizer.
The event also gave runners and walkers an opportunity to better appreciate the beauty of downtown and surrounding urban landscapes, Mellinger said.
Funds will go into the Rescue Mission’s general fund and be used mainly for its programs, utilities and food purchases, said Lynn Wyant, mission development director.
The money also is needed because donations tend to decrease during the summer, she explained, adding that about 120 people, including 22 children under age 18, are at the facility on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
The mission receives neither government nor United Way funding and relies on donations, Wyant continued.
Robert and Lisa said their daughter recently returned from a two-month mission trip to Nepal, much of which entailed discipleship and ministering to people in villages and other remote locations. Alisha also intends to enroll this fall at Colorado Christian University near Denver to major in cultural studies, her mother said.
“She fell in love with the people and culture of Nepal,” Lisa added.
Performing mission work also is nothing new to Robert, whose travels have taken him to Africa and Guatemala, he recalled.
In this case, however, Robert’s travels took him through two sets of tires, over and under sets of hurdles, along balance beams, up hills and flights of steps and, finally, netting elevated at a 60-degree angle leading to an elevated platform.
Those were among the challenges along the route, which resembled a distorted figure-8, through much of downtown and on the Youngstown State University campus.
In addition to providing a fun time and chance to assist one of the Mahoning Valley’s vital agencies, the Steelathlon’s value also was in making people more aware of the Rescue Mission’s offerings.
The mission is important for a variety of reasons, one of which is that many people are “living on the edge” and dealing with an array of financial difficulties, Wyant said.
“I always tell people, ‘How many paychecks will it take to [avoid being] homeless?’” she said. “No one plans to be at the mission.”
Prizes were to be awarded to the top three male and female finishers in each age group, along with the top three male and female finishers overall.