Fredonia High School kept up its annual tradition of its students volunteering their time to help with the sale. Former Fredonia Athletic Director Greg Lauer led a group of students in downtown Fredonia. At Tim Hortons on Lake Shore Drive in Dunkirk, Cheryl Tabone and the Fredonia girls soccer team sold papers at the front door and in the drive-through line.

At the newest Tim Hortons location, situated directly across from its previous site in Brooklyn Square in Jamestown, volunteer Jane Young–a recently retired employee of The Resource Center–stated on Wednesday morning, “We’re selling these special edition newspapers to raise funds for Filling the Gap Inc., which is dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities.”

Filling the Gap, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization designated as 501(c)(3), based in Jamestown. This organization is dedicated to promoting and enhancing services for low-income, distressed, and underprivileged residents of Chautauqua County, with a particular emphasis on individuals with disabilities. Their efforts are concentrated in four key areas of focus, aimed at fostering support and development within the community.

We’re out here for a good cause; a cause I believe in,” said Young.

Nora and Madelyn Polhamus are shown selling a newspaper to a driver in line at Tim Hortons in Dunkirk.

At the Village Board meeting Monday night, Silver Creek Mayor Jeff Hornburg joked, “Wednesday morning, if you’re driving through the village, you’ll see my smiling face down there at six o’clock in the morning selling Laurel Run Dunkirk OBSERVERs.” He said to the audience at the recent meeting, “Everybody here knows what a wonderful thing the Laurel Run is and what the Hotelling family has done for the Resource Center.”

The 29th annual Laurel Memorial Run will be held July 18 and 19. The event features a 5K run/walk; an 8K run; a 1K Fun Walk; children’s runs; and Laurel’s Lap, designated for anyone with a disability.

Laurel Hotelling was a beloved member of the Silver Creek community who lived an impactful life of 54 years with Down’s Syndrome. The Laurel Memorial Run raises money for the Resource Center, while also raising awareness and visibility for those of all abilities.

At the event last summer, Wayne Hotelling, Laurel’s father, said of the impact the event has for people with disabilities, “It shows you what they can do, and how important they are to society. They are not to be pushed aside and they are not to be placed somewhere they can’t be seen. They need to be out in the public to be accepted, just like the rest of us.”

Reporter Chris Blakeslee contributed to this article.

Pictured is Fredonia student Ben Brautigam standing at the corner of Main Street in Fredonia selling newspapers to benefit the Laurel Run.