YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The 2024 Panerathon will mark its 15th anniversary.Number The event, said to be the Mahoning Valley's largest community fundraiser, is back this year and event organizers are working to increase participation, donations and encourage people to stick around after the walk or run is over.
This year's Panelathon will be held at the Covelli Center on Aug. 25 and will consist of a 10K walk/run, a two-mile event and a kids' run. Online registration is now open for the annual event, which will raise funds for the Joani Abdou Comprehensive Breast Cancer Care Center at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.
The event is being hosted by Covelli Enterprises, the largest franchisee of the Panera Bread bakery-cafe chain in Warren.
According to Daniel Covelli, marketing director for Covelli Enterprises, the first Paneración attracted 3,000 participants. Last year's event attracted more than 7,500 participants, and as many as 11,000 people, including participants, spectators and supporters, could be on-site on the day of the event.
“Panelathon is a very special event in that it brings together so many organizations and businesses that each play a vital role in the success of the event,” said Sarah Dubos, Panerathon race director for JAC Management Group and JAC Live. JAC manages the city-owned Covelli Center.
According to Candace Madden, grants manager and Panelathon coordinator for Mercy Health Foundation's Mahoning Valley Chapter, planning for the following year's event begins the week after the previous year's event ends.
“Especially since this is the 15thNumber “This year is a landmark one for us, not only because we're hosting the event in our community and participation continues to grow, but we also have more community sponsors coming forward to support this effort,” Madden said.
15th Anniversary PanelathonNumber Covelli said the past year has been “hugely meaningful” for Covelli Enterprises, and breast cancer mortality in the Mahoning Valley is “a very important issue for this region.”
Last year's Panerathon raised just over $600,000, Madden reported. This year's event is on track to surpass that amount with just over a month until sponsorship closes. “The goal has always been to raise as much money as possible to support the Joanie Abdou Comprehensive Breast Cancer Center, with the intention that the money stays local and really makes an impact on the women in our community,” Madden said.
The event has raised more than $4.5 million to date, Covelli said, and this year's event will also feature a new $15,000 Pink Sapphire sponsorship level.
“The people of the Valley are always so supportive of everything we do. Any fundraiser we do, they are fully behind it,” Covelli added. “The success of Panelathon is all thanks to the residents of the Mahoning Valley.”
Madden said the Abdu Center has performed more than 150,000 tests since it opened in 2011. The center also has locations in Poland and Columbiana. Additionally, funds raised from the 2016 Panelathon helped pay for Joanie on the Go, a mobile mammography unit that tests at 26 locations across the three counties each month.
“Just having these resources in place is so important for the Mahoning Valley,” Covelli said. Not only will the center provide women with access to testing and “world-class care,” but the mobile unit can reach women who don't have transportation to the Youngstown center.
Organizers say there will be some changes to this year's event.
The Pink Ribbon Area will provide an upgraded space for cancer survivors and those undergoing treatment, Madden said, and will also include a lounge area with “more amenities,” Covelli said.
Another addition for 2024 will be on-course entertainment, with local band Madame Marlowe performing during the 10K race.
As in past years, sponsors of the event will be invited to set up exhibits on-site, Madden said. Additionally, PNC Bank will sponsor a kids' area and have a Grow Up Great mobile unit on-site. For the first time, the Ohio State University Extension 4-H program will also have a mobile unit on-site to provide “interactive opportunities for kids to learn about planting and other activities,” Madden said.
Madden said a mobile unit from Joanie on the Go will also be on-site, providing tours and opportunities for participants to talk with nurse navigators and the Abdu Center manager. Information will also be provided about other programs and services offered by St. Elizabeth and Mercy Health, which operates the Abdu Center.
O'Charley's, another restaurant chain whose restaurants are operated by Covelli Enterprises, will provide meals at the venue for a $5 donation, Madden said.
“Panelathon continues to grow every year in the Covelli Center parking lot,” Dubose said, “and this year we're looking to expand even further with an expanded kids' area and more on-site entertainment.”
“This year we're hoping to add some more fun events after the 2-mile and 10K races,” she said. “We want people to stay.”
Madden has a small team who organizes the event, “which means we rely heavily on the community's support as volunteers,” she said. About 200 volunteers help out throughout the year, but they mostly help out right before the event with bagging, package pickups and preparing the parking lot for the event.
Panelathon wouldn't be possible without volunteers, many of whom have been involved with the event since the beginning, Dubose said.
“Each year, more organizations get more involved and take on a part of the event as their own,” she said. “Their dedication and support allows the event to grow and gives us the space to look for new ways to improve it each year.”
Pictured above: Attendees from our last Panerathon.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
