The 19th Annual Logan's Run and Walk

Posted on May 13, 2024

The Greater Harrisburg Autism Society Board of directors planned the 19th annual Logan’s Run and Walk for Autism Acceptance. I am one of the directors on the board. The 2024 Logan’s Run and Walk was on April 27th at City Island in Harrisburg. The 5k run and that started at 10am and the family fun walk started at noon. There were 14 vendors for families that need autism resources, Junie Balloonie, a bounce house for the kids, food trucks, and music played by a DJ. Our mc for this year’s event was the new chief meteorologist from WGAL TV, our local NBC station.

Logan’s run was named in memory of Logan Mitchetree, a young boy with autism from South Williamsport, PA. who died tragically in December of 2004 after he became lost in a wooded mountainside. While there is progress being made in our understanding of autism, Logan’s story is a sobering reminder that autism can bring an array of serious concerns and challenges for families beginning with the child’s vulnerability and safety. Every dollar raised by the Logan’s run will go directly to help individuals and families in Central Pennsylvania deal with the unexpected and often devastating diagnosis of autism. Funds raised provide educational, social, and recreational opportunities for the local autism community.

I have been on the board for thirteen of the nineteen years that the Logan’s run and walk event has taken place. It is a lot of hard work and dedication of a volunteer board to put on this huge event and fundraiser each year from advertising for the event, to getting runners, food, drinks and entertainment for the kids, and an MC for each year’s event. We continuously strive to make it better each year. We are not a big board so each of us plays a role in putting on Logan’s run and walk. This year I was able to provide possible vendors from attending an autism conference in Hershey and a local disability fair where I was a vendor for my adult social group where I was able to network with other people and organizations in the autism community. What we do to advertise this event each year is place posters in all sorts of stores, restaurants, doctors’ offices, and other local businesses that are willing to help promote this event. We also have signs put along heavily traveled highways in both the east shore and west shore of Harrisburg so drivers see them.

When the big, game day came, my friend Chris Previc and I arrived together at the Senators AAA baseball stadium City Island. By the time we got there, other vendors, including our adult ASD support group, were setting up and the registration and food tables were all ready to go. Some runners were there early to warm up for the 5k race that started at 10 AM. The vendor area quickly became filled with other visitors and even a group of Ghost Busters and Disney Princesses for entertainment! Around 10 AM the runners lined up and Tom Flynn, our MC from WGAL TV, started the countdown. The race was off and typically took about a half hour to complete the race course. After the races was over, medals were given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in each age group. Once the race portion of the event was over, more people began stopping by the vendor tables for information. It was with good fortune that the MC happened to stop by our table with Christine Ferreira, where I started to chat with her until duty called and she had to be a part of the medal ceremony.

A little bit before the walk portion of the event started, Tom Flynn took me outside to be interviewed about my adult autism support group. As a professional, I was able to answer her questions without any problems! I hope I made our autism society board proud. After the event was over people began to head home and vendors packed their resource tables up. Now the countdown begins to start planning the 20th Annual Logan’s Run and Walk for next year!