September 30th, 2007 marked the first Step Forward event in NY State, held on Long Island at the Holtsville Park and Ecology Center.

The walk was set to kick off at noon; however, the participants, among whom were 12 renal patients and their families, were so energized that the event started almost a half hour early. The opening remarks were made by Claire Cascio, the pediatric nephrology nurse at Stony Brook University Hospital and the organizer of this walk.  Dr. Ivy Boydstun, also from SBUH and an Honorary Chair, also provided some words of encouragement.  After the National Anthem, the first lap began to the theme from Rocky as the events 200+ participants started off around the 1.2 mile track.

The event committee for this walk was a great group of parents, health care professionals, and members of the community. The town of Brookhaven and the staff at Holtsville Park were also very helpful going above and beyond to help with the set-up and the showmobile. Another thank you goes out to the Holtsville Fire Department who came through with both an ambulance and a paramedic fly car to standby during the walk.

The refreshment committee, overseen by the Wolf family, was able to secure donations of water and sports drinks as well as muffins, fruit, and snack bars to keep the participants nourished and hydrated throughout the event.

Among the activities available at the park, which include a zoo, an ecology center, a playground, and a picnic area, the activities committee, overseen by the Stuart family, also arranged for face painting and other activities during the event.

WBAB radio came to the event with some giveaways as did NEWS12 Long Island. Both also announced the event on their stations during the weeks leading up to the event. These arrangements were made by the media committee, overseen by the Zamayer family.

The registration committee was honored to have NephCure's very own Miriam Wagner Long in attendance to assist with keeping all of the paperwork in order.

The logistics coordinator for the event, Peter Thomas, also served as the MC and Tommy Yanantuono of TK's Entertainment was the DJ and audio engineer and secured the partial donation of the equipment that was needed.

Under the supervision of Claire Thomas, LMSW the Youth Council of Patchougue Medford Youth & Community Services provided some much needed assistance throughout the event with everything from dressing up as Sponge Bob to walking the track backwards handing out cold drinks to the walkers.

After two laps it was time to close down the raffles and the 50/50 and start choosing some winners. Due to the generous donations of prizes, participants went home with some very nice items. After the drawings, the other honorary chair, Dr. Dylis Whyte, Division Chief of Pediatric Nephrology at Stony Brook University Hospital made some closing remarks before the event came to a close and everyone pitched in to help break down.

Emergency Ambulance Service www.easny.com