Benefit run set for first responders

ALBANY — First responders are heroes, according to Tom Gieryic, owner and operator of Gieryic’s Automotive Repair on Dawson Road.

So, as part of his ongoing “Back the Blue” campaign and to honor all first responders, individuals who have dedicated themselves to the service and protection of others, Gieryic, along with WSRA Radio and Wild Side Running, has helped to organize a 5K and 1-mile fun run/walk benefit on July 30.

Gieryic, who was recognized by the Albany Police Department recently as one of its citizens of the year, is a long-time supporter of law enforcement and first responders. He helped start the local Back the Blue campaign, which has received widespread support from both law enforcement officials and the community. The campaign’s black and blue signs, Gieryic’s design, can be seen throughout Albany and beyond. His Back the Blue flag, a black and white American flag featuring a thin blue line down the middle, currently flies in front of his Dawson Road business.

“First responders are here to help the community,” said Gieryic. “We need to support them. By doing this event, we hope to get a lot of interaction between the community, especially the younger part of the community, and first responders in general. These people are heroes: EMS, firefighters and law enforcement.”

According to Gieryic, service personnel are often forgotten, are underappreciated and, of late, even demonized.

“People don’t think about EMS unless they have a medical emergency or (an ambulance is) coming up behind them on the road and they have to get out of their way,” said Gieryic. “Firefighters are willing to run into a burning building in order to save someone they don’t even know, and the big thing with the police now, they already had a tough job, but now they are walking around with targets on their backs when they are here to help and protect people. It’s sickening. These people (first responders) deserve respect.”

The run will kick off at 8 a.m. on July 30 at 2341 Lake Park Drive in Albany. Registration for the 5K run is $25 in advance, $30 the day of the race. Registration for the 1-mile fun run/walk is $15. Age-group awards will be presented.

All proceeds after expenses from the event will benefit local first responder programs with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Albany Police Department, according to Gieryic.

“The cause for the event is called Project Lifesaver,” said Gieryic. “It is a law enforcement community service program that provides tracking devices for at-risk kids, kids with autism or dementia. These kids tend to wander out the back door without telling anybody and get lost. If the kid has the unit, I’ve been told, you call 911, they activate it and nationwide they can find them.

“Lee County has a waiting list of about a dozen kids. I don’t have any figures about how many are in Albany, but they can’t use government money to do it. It’s all got to be donations, and the underlying thing is interaction between first responders and the community. We need to back the blue.”

For more information about the Back the Blue Fun Run, call (229) 395-5778 or go online to Active.com.

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