Tarrytown YMCA to Honor the Rivertown Runners and Todd Ruppel with Laurance S. Rockefeller Award

The Rivertown Runners Todd Ruppel (in yellow jacket), Co-Founder and President

The Rivertown Runners (RTR) and Todd Ruppel, their co-founder and President, will receive the Laurance S. Rockefeller Award for Service from the Family YMCA at Tarrytown at their Halloween Masquerade Ball on October 18 at the Tarrytown House. The award is presented in recognition of service to the Rivertowns communities.

“We’re excited to recognize Todd and the Rivertown Runners, which has donated more than $350,000 to local charities and organizations since its founding in 2010,” said Gerry Riera, Family YMCA at Tarrytown CEO.

Todd Ruppel co-founded the Rivertown Runners with Kristen Idlaski, organizing races to raise funds for local nonprofits. Rivertown Runners is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization which is committed to developing community running events for members and other runners with the purpose of raising money to benefit local charities and putting the fun in the run.

Rivertown Runners has helped community children go to day camp, teen travel camp and arts camp. RTR has supported the Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow ambulance corps and fire departments, the food pantries of Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow and Ossining, both the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, senior programs for yoga, new equipment in the Morse Park and even lighting the Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse. When support was needed for victims of Hurricanes Sandy and Harvey, Rivertown Runners was there.  RTR’s Outreach Fund helps to maintain the many trails in the Rockefeller Preserve and also provides two $1000 RTR Track and Field Academic College Scholarships to local high school students.

Founded in 1903, the Family YMCA at Tarrytown reaches thousands of community members in the Rivertowns with programs that focus on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility, including health and fitness, childcare and after school programs, swimming lessons, dance, senior programs and more. The YMCA does not turn away people based on their ability to pay, and last year provided over $500,000 in financial aid for memberships and programs.

The Y Masquerade Ball supports the following Family YMCA at Tarrytown programs and services: the Y Early Learning Center (daycare), Schools Out (school-age childcare), Y Dance, Y Enrichment, Y Aquatics, Y Theater and Membership.

For more information, contact Lesa Dalton, Associate Executive Director and Y Masquerade Ball Chair 2019 @ lesad@ymcatarrytown.org .

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