4,000 miles. 4,000 people. 4,000 stories. 4,000 reasons to make a difference.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Quick Mail Drop Update
We should be at the location of our next mail drop in Wabasha, Minnesota by Thursday or Friday. The address is a few posts down. Thanks again for all your care and support!
In Honor Beverly Totman The Guinan Family Joe Staten The Linzey Family Ini and Demetra Hazatones Elizabeth Cox The McGaffin Family Joe Ahlquist The Zorn Family The Watts Family Dr. Paul Zito Kelly Ballentine Jeanette Wilhelm Margaret Strong Patricia Miller Hazel Tibbe Phyllis Emlet Michele LaBrie Mark Gammarra The Goodahl Family
In Memory Catherine Otterson Irene Trotskey Stanley Emlet Theresa LaBrie Dawn Gaffka Lee VanderArk John Tibbe Robert LaBrie Sr. Jimmy Hunt Leonard Ahlquist Kent C. Nicodemus Palmer C. Pontius Maggie Smiley Anna Jean Curry George Strong Kenneth Ameigh Harold Emlet Shirley Uber Johnny Tinkler Mr. Pennington Steve Dalton William R. Thompson Col. Kenneth M. Patterson Garry Stob Grandpa Winter
These are the names as we have them, but new team members continue to come in so the list will continue to grow. If you have made a donation and we have misplaced (or misspelled) a name... PLEASE let us know! Each and every name is very important to us.
What is Steps for Stanley?
SFS is a non-profit endowment through the American Lung Association. The funds that are raised through this non-profit go specifically to research, awareness, and education about the debilitating effects of lung disease (for more information about lung disease, please see the links at the bottom of this blog.) In 2005, Stanley Emlet's third son Jonathan started Steps for Stanley in honor of his father, who had been fighting a losing battle against emphysema for 24 years. Jonathan demonstrated his passion for raising funds and awareness for the ALA by through hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2005. The hike ended climactically on top of Maine’s Mt. Katahdin, where he took a picture while holding a sign reading “Howdy Dad.” Stanley held on long enough to swell with pride at his son’s great accomplishment and gesture of love, but passed away six short months later. While the endowment is in his name and memory, Stanley's battle has ended and our efforts are now driven by the countless others who are still fighting.
Although we hope to have over four thousand team members, those actually crossing the country on their bikes are Jonathan Emlet, Jenny Emlet, and Carrie Ahlquist. To sponsor a mile of our trip and become one of those 4,000 ("honorary")team members, visit http://www.mrsnv.com/evt/home.jsp?id=1799 or email stepsforstanley@gmail.com. You can also donate in honor or memory of a loved one, making them a team member.
Stanley Emlet was born in Loysville, Pennsylvania in 1927. Stanley's mother was a teacher and his father helped run the family business. When Stan was 5 years old, his father died in a truck accident. At an early age Stan went to work for his uncles in the family chicken and egg business. When he was old enough he loved making journeys from Loysville to Philadelphia to deliver eggs and chickens for market. This simple, peaceful life was interrupted by World War II and Stan left school when he was 17 to join the Navy. He served with the SEABEES, seeing action in Saipan and Okinawa. He often reminisced about surviving kamikaze attacks, a typhoon, and being bitten by a tarantula. When the war ended, Stanley returned to Pennsylvania, earned a GED, and attended Shippensburg State College through the G.I. Bill. By 1958 Stan had moved to northwestern Pennsylvania and began teaching elementary school. He married his wife Phyllis with whom he had three sons. In 1982, just a year after the birth of his third son, Jonathan, Stan was diagnosed with emphysema after smoking for nearly 40 years. In hopes of living to see Jonathan graduate from high school, he quit cold turkey. Unfortunately, disease quickly became so debilitating that Stan was forced to retire the same year. Eventually the family moved to central Pennsylvania and Stan became a 'house father' to Jonathan while Phyllis worked for the Department of Transportation. Jonathan was 14 years old when it became necessary for Stan to go on oxygen therapy 24 hours a day. During the last few years of his life, Stan was house bound; only going out for doctor visits and hair cuts. Despite this he maintained a positive attitude. He enjoyed following current events, reading aviation and WWII magazines and the visits of family and friends. His main occupation was, as he put it, 'holding down his easy chair.'He did live to see Jonathan graduate from high school, even college. Sadly, on February, 27th 2006 Stan passed away from the complications of emphysema. He now lays at rest in the Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Although Stanley is no longer with us, his memory lives on. You can be a part of his memory or a part of any one of the millions of Americans who have passed because of lung disease. You can also take part in shaping and improving the future for those who suffer from lung disease now. Every step counts, take yours!
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