races | Y COMMUNITY IMPACT

It was a news story that has transfixed the community: a father dead, a mother and son critically injured, allegedly at the hands of their oldest son and brother.

But, of course, the Cipriano family is not merely a headline: they are people, people suffering unimaginable pain. To the members and staff of the Farmington YMCA, mother Rose Cipriano is also one of their own. Rose was a trainer a the Y and swam on a master’s swim team.

The Cipriano family was well-known and loved in the community long before tragedy struck, and so friends wanted to do something to help the family through this difficult time. April Tini is one of those friends, and along with Jenny Birmelin, Rose’s swim coach, they settled on the idea of a run to raise money for a trust for the Cipriano children.

“They were very active in the Farmington community and beyond; they knew so many people and touched so many lives with their warm ways and community involvement, that everyone around town wanted to do something to help the family during this difficult time. The Cipriano 5K turned out to be the solution!” April says.

The final tally is still being counted, but thanks to generous sponsors and entry fees, the race generated in the neighborhood of $60,000 for the Cipriano Children’s Fund.

The race was a tribute as much as a fundraiser; Rose’s son Tanner gave a speech at the beginning of the race and designed the logos for the shirts. Jenny says one of her favorite moments was the evening of the race, when “slowly, I watched the Y’s parking lot go from 50, to 100, to 200, and climb to 2,094 participants and another hundred or two volunteers and spectators.” Many participants didn’t know the Cipriano family but were touched by their story and wanted to show support.

According to Farmington Y senior program director Leana Parker, a volunteer committee of about 35 people coalesced around getting the run together with only 5 weeks of planning. They were able to give away 150 prizes to runners courtesy of their sponsors. “It was very awesome to see the amount of people willing to help,” she says.

One thing that sets the Y apart from other places is that it is a true community — people care for each other in very real ways. So it’s not surprising that they stepped up to help one of their own. April Tini says they went above and beyond to help honor their coworker and friend. “The staff at the YMCA was truly amazing, doing anything and everything that was asked of them….they went the extra mile to help from every angle, and they jumped at the chance. They were terrific!”

Jenny says Leana and Pam Horetski were “amazing volunteers — they responded to our dozens of emails all day long, attended all of our planning committee meetings on Monday nights and also answered the hundreds of calls/emails that they were fielding from interested Y members. In my view, Leana should be the next Employee of the Month and be given that parking space she deserves.”

When a tragedy like the Ciprano family’s happens, people want to help in some way. The Run for Rose gave the community a way to show support whether they know the family or not, and used the power of the YMCA community to do it.

For the 35th year, around 400 people will be jogging along the banks of the Detroit River this evening for the annual Downriver 5K to support the YMCA.

The run has been an effort of many people throughout the years, but Downriver Y board member Fred Karn was one of the runners in the very first race, and shortly thereafter joined the board and has been a board member ever since.

The run began as a way to capitalize on the running craze of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Karn said, and just a handful of runners turned out that first year. Runners took a back road and then ran along alleys in Wyandotte so the city would not have to close the streets. Back then, the Downriver Y was a shared brick building on Fort Street in Wyandotte; today, it’s a beautiful, huge facility on Northline Road in Southgate.

They’ve tried may different ways to attract people and make the race successful over the years. Now, 35 years later, the run is still in downtown Wyandotte, but much like the Y itself the course is much nicer. Runners use the golf course at BASF Park, which offers beautiful views of the Detroit River and passing sailboats and freighters. “it’s very picturesque, and really very special,” Karn says. It’s a family affair, too; there is a quarter mile run for the youngest kids, a mile run for older kids, and a 5K for the adults.

There is always a honorary chair of the run who helps draw participants, which has ranged from a state championship-winning hockey team coach to a wheelchair athlete. The race also brings in funds from sponsorships, including support from longtime sponsors BASF, Henry Ford Health System; Lincoln Park Rotary Club and KSP Insurance (Karn’s firm), along with Citizens Insurance Co.

All this adds up to thousands of dollars worth of scholarships for the Strong KIds Campaign, Karn says. Race day was cool and rainy, but they’re hoping for a good turnout to bring together the Downriver communities and support Y programs for deserving families.