Youngstown, Ohio (WKBN) – A major event in the valley is returning once again to join the fight against breast cancer.
The Panerathon is a 10K run and a 2-mile fun run or walk for people of all ages that takes place in downtown Youngstown. Its goal is to raise money and awareness for the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center. All of the proceeds raised support Joanie’s Promise Fund at the Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley.
“The Panerathon has been going on for almost 14 years,” said Danielle Covelli who serves as the marketing director for Covelli Enterprises. “We are so lucky that this event keeps growing each and every year. The community always supports the event and it really just supports the health and wellness of this area.”
Covelli Enterprises was already doing several things to raise money and support the fight against breast cancer when it partnered with Dr. Rashid Abdu who lost his wife Joanie to breast cancer in 1994. The goal was to create the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center. Dr. Abdu persevered to make the center come to fruition and it did on November 2, 2011.
“At Covelli Enterprises we have a promise to give back to the greatest needs we see across our community,” said Covelli. “Knowing the breast cancer mortality rate in this region is one of the highest in the country was what made it a cause we knew we really needed to get behind.”
Funds raised through Panerathon have made several things possible, one of these being a state-of-the-art mobile mammography unit possible. It’s been in operation since 2016 and is the first mobile unit in eastern Ohio to offer 3D mammography.
“We truly owe the success of the Paerathon to the community and the Mahoning Valley,” said Covelli. “Over the past 14 years, the Panerathon has raised more than $3.5 million to support the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center. We couldn’t do this without the amazing community.”
The Panerathon is Sunday, August 27 at the Covelli Centre at 229 E. Front Street in Youngstown. Registration opens at 8 a.m. The 10K Run/Walk starts at 10 a.m. and the two-mile Run/Walk starts at 10:05 a.m. For more information, visit Panerathon.org.
