Event to benefit Ave Maria Academy draws participants from 50 states
Reed McDermott walks at Ripepi Winery in Carroll Township as part of the Shamrock Shuffle fundraising event.
Ave Maria Academy has received plenty of support from as far away as Alaska.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
The O’Keefe family at Ripepi Winery are front, from left, Kelly, Elly and Bubba; back, Katie, Joey and Bernie.
New York City is visible across the Hudson River from New Jersey.
Colton Nanz, left, and Leo Christoferetti run through the Ripepi vineyard.
Janelle and Chris D'Eramo observe the proceedings at Ripepi Winery.
Showing their Shamrock Shuffle shirts are, from left, Oliver, Emilia and Adelyn Zoelle.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Shamrock Shuffle participants at Ripepi Winery pose for a picture.
Shamrock Shuffle participants in Mt. Lebanon pose for a picture.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Walkers make their way around the Ripepi Winery vineyard.
Race participant Nico Dambrogio meets a horse in South Park.
Chris D'Eramo mans the grill during the event at Ripepi Winery.
Riley, Christie and Dan Kulbieda participate at another venue.
To help raise money for her children’s school, Ave Maria Academy mother Katie O’Keefe suggested a race as a fun, healthy activity.
The big question was: when?
“I thought, St. Patrick’s Day is the right day. My maiden name is Kelly. My last name is O’Keefe. So I thought, this is the right time for a race,” O’Keefe said.
And so she embarked on organizing the Shamrock Shuffle 5K Run/Walk to benefit Ave Maria, which has campuses at the former St. Thomas More School in Bethel Park and St. Bernard School in Mt. Lebanon.
Because of health considerations, the event featured smaller groups at various locations instead of everyone congregating at a single venue.
For example, fellow Ave Maria Academy mom Janelle D’Eramo invited a group to Ripepi Winery in Carroll Township, the family business where she serves as events manager.
That’s where Katie and husband Bernie, Upper St. Clair residents, took third-grade daughters Kelly and Elly, second-grader Bubba and young Joey, joining other runners and walkers on a recent warm, sunny Sunday afternoon.
Shamrock Shuffle venues, though, weren’t quite limited to relative proximity to the school. Katie came up with an idea to bolster event participation.
“What if we try to get someone in all 50 states,” she said.
And so efforts toward “Ave Maria Academy Runs Across America” began, with Katie getting plenty of assistance, particularly from her friend Natalie Podkul.
“She got a printout of a map and a highlighter, and we started highlighting every state and sharing it on social media. And we got all 50 states, plus three countries,” Katie said.
More than 750 people signed up to cover 5 kilometers at various paces, most of them wearing green T-shirts that were produced for the event.
“What’s really cool is we mailed all of their packets and their shirts, and we sent signs that say ‘AMA Runs’ and they wrote in their states,” Katie said. “So we have dozens of people posting on our Shamrock Shuffle page running in Alaska and New Hampshire and Massachusetts.”
She thanks the event’s sponsors and donors, who covered the cost of the shirts and provided a variety of gifts and raffle items. Thanks to their generosity, 100% of the race’s proceeds, more than $20,000, can go toward supporting the school.
Donations also can be made through the Shamrock Shuffle website, runsignup.com/Race/PA/AnyCity/ShamrockShuffle5kRunWalkVR?fbclid=IwAR2ATBhoflNSBXTlCjTrkfY-ixgAbdqb_t8twkoWkyVzqPoIuB2t8SspeGg.