The Beneficiaries of The Louie Run

The Louie Run has donated over $250,000 to local charities over the years. Here are stories about just two of the organizations that have benefited.

Shop with a Cop

Every Christmas, the members of Lakeshore FOP Lodge 144, located in Jefferson, Ohio, take kids on a shopping spree. These are underprivileged children, ranging from 6 months to 13- or 14-years-old, who have been removed from their parents and placed in foster care. Each child receives a non-taxable $100 gift card to use at the Ashtabula Walmart. Nothing is off limits except toy guns, tanks, or similar items associated with violence. That means they can buy themselves such things as toys, games, books and clothes that they otherwise would not have.

Children’s Services provides names of about 65 children. The Homesafe shelter provides names of another 10 or so children. That adds up to about 75 kids each year who have the time of their lives selecting treasures for themselves. Just picture the bright eyes and smiles of that many youngsters roaming the isles of the Walmart store on a particular day. A member of the Lodge or his or her family accompanies each child. Last year, a member of the Louie Run Foundation and his wife took a child in hand as well.

And the day is not over after the shopping is complete. The Lodge treats all the little shoppers to a pizza and pop lunch. Retired Ashtabula Sheriff’s Department Deputy Skip Eller said, “This shows them that someone loves them and cares. The big hugs and kisses you get afterward make my holiday as well as theirs.”

For the last several years, The Louie Run has donated $1000 to the Shop with a Cop program. That means that they have sponsored 10 needy children each year who otherwise would not have had a joyous Christmas.

Highbrook Lodge (Cleveland Sight Center)

Highbrook Lodge, in Chardon, Ohio, is the tranquil home of a summer residential camp run by the Cleveland Sight Center for people of all ages with visual impairments. Each year, 60% of the several hundred campers request scholarships, ranging from $50 per child three- to 12-years old for three-day camp, to $385 per child for a week of camp. Many of the campers have multiple disabilities, so everything at the camp is fully accessible. Counselors are highly trained, and the counselor-to-camper ration is very high.

Imagine the thrill of being able to swim in the outdoor pool, go fishing, bowl at outdoor lanes, play beep baseball, visit the nature center, sit around a campfire and participate in a musical program and talent show. Add to that the relaxation of just being able to be yourself among others with similar disabilities instead of the pressures of keeping up with sighted individuals. There also are family camps for parents of infants and very young children, where the adults attend educational and support sessions while their children are being supervised in fun activities.

The Louie Run’s $1000 yearly donation brings fun-filled days to up to 20 campers who might otherwise have to forego the experience.

The Louie Run thanks everyone who has made these and other donations possible in the past and who will allow us to continue our charitable work in the future.

Louie Run 2009 Donation Report