Rescue Mission manager, Disney fan raises funds through WDW marathon,

January 17, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Josh Avery, Men’s Discipleship Academy manager at the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, is a self-proclaimed Disney fanatic who lives by a quote from Walt Disney:

“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious ... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Avery, 30, has often applied the mantra of “keep moving forward” to his goals, most recently when he raised funds for the Rescue Mission while running the Walt Disney World Marathon in Orlando on Jan. 8. He first set a modest goal of $1,000, but then ended up raising nine times that amount – $9,055, to be exact. He also finished the marathon in just under six hours and received a medal.

He got the idea to run a marathon when he turned 30 last year and felt like he wanted to check an item on his bucket list.

“I decided in my 30th year that’s when I wanted to complete [a marathon] and do a couple different things that would introduce some interesting stories into my life,” he said.

Aside from just running a marathon, Avery decided to open an online fundraising account for the shelter, too.

He started running when he met his wife, Carissa, participating in several 5Ks and a half marathon before he felt he’d want to take on a full marathon.

Avery has been working for the Rescue Mission for nearly two years, first starting as client adviser and later becoming the manager of the Men’s Discipleship Academy. The academy is an education program designed to provide clients in the shelter with spiritual and academic resources to gain knowledge to successfully transition back into the community.

The marathon has a 26.2-mile course through all four Walt Disney World theme parks and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex with Disney characters and entertainment on the sidelines. Avery chose to run his first marathon at Disney World because he felt he’d be more motivated running on a course with so many sights and scenery.

When he returned Jan. 12, he and his wife received a certificate of appreciation from the mission for their effort. Avery said his wife deserves at least half of the medal he earned because of all the time she allowed him to run while she took care of their 6-month-old daughter Ellie.

Lynn Wyant, director of development at the shelter, said she was extremely grateful to hear about the amount of effort he made for a place he already contributes to daily as an employee.

“Anytime a donor does something, it’s really special, but for me personally when it’s a co-worker who does something, it just warms my heart,” she said.

Avery plans for the money to go to the Men’s Discipleship Academy, since it’s a program financed separately from the general fund the nonprofit shelter uses every year. He made a list of possible ideas he discussed with shelter employees and his academy students, including a possible field trip or camping.

Although his marathon is over, his online fundraising account is still open to donate at www.rescuemissionmvfundraiser.org/participant/366825.