By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
October 18, 2016-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to support the 5th Annual Marianne Volpe 5K and Pumpkin Fun Run in Baldwin on Saturday, October 29.
The run is the brainchild of Eastern New York’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) Chairperson Jim Volpe. His wife, Marianne (pictured above), passed away from Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL), an aggressive form of blood cancer, at the age of 56 on October 14, 2011. There are countless stories about extraordinary people like Marianne whose lives are cut tragically short by this horrible disease.
Jim started the run the day before Hurricane Sandy hit the New York metro area in 2012.
”We have raised over $125,000 in the first four years and hope to pass the $150,000 mark this year, with all proceeds going to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society,” Jim explained.
The donations will help fund treatments that save lives every day, such as immunotherapy that uses a person’s own immune system to kill cancer. You can visit the Volpes' fundraising page at:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/li/yourway16/jvolpejf7
The Kids Half-Mile starts at 9:00 am with the 5K starting at 9:30 am, rain or shine, in Baldwin Harbor Park.
Jim and Marianne’s children, Chelsea and Shaun, grew up playing in the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), then played for Manhattan College, are still involved in the game today and obviously will be at this big event again.
With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.