‘Celebrate … life’: Annual Second Chance run brings organ donors, recipients and supporters together | News

ST. MICHAEL, Pa. – For the past four years, Windber Area High School cross country coach Jake Polca has participated in the annual Second Chance 5K Run/Walk, and brought his team not only to get a head start to the season, but also to support organ donations.

“We love that it’s a charity fundraiser we really believe in,” he said. “I just think the vision of the race is really, really cool.”

Polca was one of more than 200 racers who took part in the family-friendly event Saturday at Berwind-Wayside Festival Park in St. Michael.

Laurel Bean, a 17-year-old rising senior from Windber, said attending the event with her coach and team is always a great time.

She’s ran the race for the past four years, too, and described the course as “a lot of fun.”

Bean is a fan of the cause as well.

“It feels nice to support the community,” she said.

The event is also relatable for the teenager.

Bean said she knows a handful of people who’ve received organ donations, and understands the importance of that level of generosity.

Heart transplant recipient Craig Smith created Saturday’s race and walk nine years ago.

He had been diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy in his early 20s and, in 2015, received a new heart.

His second chance at life led him to create the nonprofit of the same name to spread the word about organ and tissue donations.

“We’re trying to bring awareness to a topic people don’t often like talking about,” Smith said.

Surveying the sizeable crowd of racers and supporters, he said it was a “tremendous feeling” to be able to reach that many people, and in-turn receive their support for his mission.

Second Chance Fundraising organized the event alongside the Center for Organ Recovery and Education.

Sara Chesler, CORE communications outreach coordinator, said the organization was “absolutely thrilled to be here today.”

She commended the efforts of Smith’s nonprofit to raise awareness about organ donation, and said that everyone in attendance at the park was there to “celebrate the gift of life.”

“It’s all sides, everybody, coming together to support donations,” Chesler said.

Manning the CORE booth was Denise Robbins, a volunteer from Revloc with a personal connection to the event.

Her son-in-law, Adam Schaeffer, needs a heart and liver transplant.

With her family being touched by that situation, Robbins said she felt called to help out, and encourage others to become organ donors.

She described the 5K as a blessing for getting the word out.

“I just think people need to be educated on it,” Robbins said.

In addition to the cardio focus, attendees could participate in a basket raffle, explore various food trucks, enjoy the DJ and more.

Smith said he hadn’t seen the official count of participants but expected the eighth year of the race – a year was lost to the COVID-19 pandemic – to rival the largest year, which was the first.

His business partner and racer, Derek Partsch, said the first event garnered more than 300 racers, and this year, there were 200 people pre-registered with a large walk-up crowd.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “We’ve been doing the same thing for eight years in a row and it just feels like we’re getting better.”

For more information about organ donation, visit www.core.org.