Two Newtowners Raise Money On The Run

By Steve Bigham

Vinnie Melita and Gretchen Davenson toured Walt Disney World earlier this month, but they weren’t there to see Mickey. The two Newtown natives were there to compete in the Disney Marathon, where they raised nearly $4,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

On Sunday, January 7, the engaged couple joined 4,000 other runners who braved the 36-degree temperatures in Orlando. The 26.2-mile course started at 6 am at Epcot Center and wound its way through all four Disney parks – The Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Disney/MGM Studios – and ended up back at Epcot.

Vinnie, who graduated from Newtown High School in 1989, crossed the finish line in three hours, 23 minutes, which was seven minutes faster than he had hoped. Gretchen, a 1990 graduate, finished in 4:43. It was the first full marathon for both runners.

The race had extra special meaning for the two local runners since Gretchen’s father, Lee Davenson, died of acute promyelocytic leukemia back in September of 1988 at the age of 40. Mr Davenson was a well-known figure in town, serving as director of the Parks & Recreation Department. One year, he was selected to be parade marshal in Newtown’s Labor Day Parade and made his way along the parade route on roller skates dressed in a gorilla suit.

“I can speak for the both of us that it was one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives,” Vinnie said. “The course was lined with Leukemia and Lymphoma Society staff and supporters all cheering us on all the way.”

Vinnie and Gretchen are both members of the Leukemia Society Team in Training (Fairfield Chapter). In addition to Lee Davenson, who Gretchen said was with her in spirit, the two runners and others ran in honor of 16-year-old Ridgefield resident Ashlee Moskwa, the chapter’s honored patient, who was there with her mother at the halfway mark. Ashlee was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoblastic Lymphoma back in February 1999.

According to Vinnie, the Disney marathon raised $7 million. Vinnie and Gretchen had hoped to raise a total of $6,000 and are hoping to reach their goal. The two runners thanked everyone who helped out and asked that anyone still interested in helping send their contribution directly to the Fairfield County Chapter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 25 Third Street, Fourth Floor, Stamford, CT 06905 (and just put either Gretchen Davenson or Vincent Melita on the memo line of the check).