Saturday June 8th, 2013, join the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation as we host our 5K Run/Walk at Theodore Roosevelt Park in Oyster Bay, NY. Registration will begin at 8am, with the run/walk starting at 9am, and will include live music, giveaways, and gluten-free goodies for all to enjoy. Guests will enjoy foods from vendors such as Bare Naked Bakery, GoPicnic, KIND Bars, Kinnikinnick, Popcorners, Schar, SoyJoy, Strictly Gluten Free, and Udi’s just to name a few!

Online registration is now OPEN, and participants can register HERE! Registration is $30 per person before the event, and $35 the day of the event. All registrants will receive a free event t-shirt with their registration! Participants can join as individuals, start teams, or join teams, and can even have people donate to support their efforts on this fun filled day at the beach!

In just our 2nd year of operation, the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation has enjoyed raising Celiac Disease awareness and education throughout the country. Our fundraising events help us raise funds for our foundation and its three distinct programs which include our National Scholarship Program, our Cleats 4 Kids program, and our Student Ambassador program.

Support for this event and the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation will help each of these programs to flourish in the coming years!

For any questions about this event, please e-mail info@kicking4celiac.org. The Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation is an I.R.S. recognized 501(c)3 organization.

Kelly Hall, of Saline High School, in Saline, MI and Tom Levine of Fordham Preparatory School, Bronx, NY, are this year’s winners. Both Kelly and Tom displayed numerous qualities that embody what the recipients of this scholarship define, and we are proud to award them with our annual scholarship.

                                                                                Kelly Hall

Kelly  is a great example of a well-rounded, high achieving student. She dedicates countless hours to after school athletics, where she participated in cross country, track & field, as well as soccer at Saline High School. Kelly  participated in numerous clubs in her school and community, and also volunteered her time outside of school too as a Special Olympics coach, a volunteer at Meals on Wheels, a youth mentor, as well as taking part in a recent mission trip to Nicaragua in which she spent days painting schools as well as distributing supplies and teaching to students in the area. Kelly’s impressive achievements reach the classroom as well, where she ranks 1st in her High School class of 459 students!

Along with her extremely impressive scholar, community service, and extra curricular activities resume, Kelly, in her own words stated, “Rather than (Celiac Disease) demoralizing me, my anemia and celiac experiences motivated me, fueling a burning, passionate desire to improve that I had never experienced before.” She added, “I no longer took my health for granted…but more than any of these accomplishments, my diagnosis gave me a new outlook and appreciation of life.” It is this hard work, resiliency, and dedication that unquestionably made Kelly the type of candidate perfect for this scholarship award.

                                                                               Tom Levine

Tom, who is a Senior at Fordham Preparatory School, was diagnosed with Celiac Disease heading in to his freshman year of High School. He was asymptomatic, and both his brother and sister have Celiac Disease as well. Tom rowed on the crew development team at Fordham Prep for two seasons, and is also involved with his community, being a Senior Patrol Leader as well as an Eagle Scout of Troop 73 in White Plains, NY. Outside of being an incredible student, Tom also spends time working at Burke Rehabilitation Center, where he works alongside nurses to help patients with severe spinal cord and brain trauma issues.

Tom’s dedication to his community, and even his country, are very evident at his young age. His dedication to being a leader drove Tom to set his heart on enrolling at West Point Military Academy and he had dreams of proudly wearing an Army uniform. Halfway through this process, Tom was unfortunately told that Celiac Disease was not a health issue that could be overlooked, and that he was ineligible for enrollment. Though this was heart breaking for him, Tom has decided to major in Computer Science with a concentration in Homeland Security and still looks to overcome this obstacle, and serve his country! His perseverance and dedication were summed up in his essay with the statement “I feel blessed I can still do so much with my life that I don’t complain about having Celiac Disease, because, though it is something I will live with for the rest of my life, I can still excel, whereas many people I have witnessed have had their lives come to a screeching halt, at young ages.”

These two incredible young students will undoubtedly continue their success through college, and we are proud to have them represent not only the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation with these awards, but represent the Celiac Disease community with their hard work, perseverance, and dedication.

The Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation is looking forward to opening its 2013-2014 scholarship award application in December 2013, and hopes that with the response and success that each of the first two years have had, the upcoming year will attract a larger amount of deserving students. More information, as well as ways to help support this program, can be found here.

Oyster Bay, NY – Over the last two years, the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation’s “Cleats 4 Kids” program has helped keep kids active across the country, and has helped them to enjoy living a healthy lifestyle without worrying about costs for their equipment. Today, the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation has made its largest Cleats 4 Kids donation to date, and one that hopes to help a High School program so close to the Foundation’s home.

The Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation will be donating a new pair of cleats to every member of the Varsity Football team at Long Beach High School for their upcoming football season. The K4CF donated cleats will have the Long Beach Marines football team looking like a family that has not missed a beat when they make their return to their home field, which was torn apart by the Hurricane Sandy. The Foundation will have the opportunity to speak directly to the student-athletes about staying healthy, proper nutrition, and they will bring Celiac Disease awareness, not only to the student athletes, but to the student-body, through Long Beach High School.

In October of 2012, Long Island was devastated by Hurricane Sandy, and one of the most decimated areas of the island was Long Beach, NY. At the time of the hurricane, Long Beach High School’s football program had been enjoying a great season and was heading towards the playoffs. As the super-storm drove through Long Beach, it essentially took all of the school’s equipment with it. The team was left without helmets, shoulder pads, pads, cleats, and even had no footballs left after the storm. After having equipment and items donated from various schools and organizations just so they could play in the playoff game when school resumed, Long Beach was eliminated from the playoffs after the first round.

Recently, Craig Pinto and Long Beach Varsity Football Assistant Coach Rocky Butler connected in regards to the Foundation’s program, and it was a perfect fit. “Our Foundation has a tremendous desire to give back to all communities, and having this happen right here so close to us, with so many of our own families and friends affected by this, it is something that this program can step up and help a lot of people out with. It’s a no brainer”, said Craig Pinto, director of the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation. He added, “When things out of your control affect your daily living, having people there to help you stay on your feet and move forward is something that helps you understand you are not in every battle alone.”

“If it eases the burden for one person, it’s done its job. If it helps a community bond, rebuild, and be thankful for what they’ve got, we have done our job”, said Pinto.

November 7th, 2012 – The Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation is extremely proud to announce that this year’s “Support-A-Student” College Scholarship program will be awarding $10,000 in college scholarships to students affected with Celiac Disease! This one of a kind national scholarship opportunity helps students with Celiac Disease off-set the costs of gluten-free living when entering college. This scholarship award helps students subsidize their meal costs that are dictated by living with Celiac Disease.

As the daily struggles of living with Celiac Disease can sometimes be debilitating, each of the students applying should be students who exemplify perseverance, hard work, and dedication, all traits the foundation prides itself on.

The application deadline for this year’s scholarship award has now passed and we look forward to announcing our scholarship recipients this March! Sign up for our newsletter as well as email info@kicking4celiac.org for up to date information on the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation!

September 24, 2012 – For the second straight year, the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation hosted it’s annual golf outing at Engineers Country Club in Roslyn Harbor, NY, and for a second straight year the event saw a great turnout. The golfers couldn’t have asked for a better day, with the sun shining and temperatures topping out around 65 degrees. The event began with brunch, which was completely gluten-free thanks to the many different gluten-free vendors that were generous enough to donate product for the day.

As the golfers headed out, they were treated to new products on course donated by Arizona Iced Tea and Bai5 drinks. The “halfway house” was stocked with gluten-free hamburger and hot-dog buns from Katz Gluten-Free for all golfers to enjoy. Approximately 80 Golfers had a chance to win $1 Million dollars on hole 18, had the chance to win new golf clubs, and also had contests such as the “longest-drive” and “most accurate shot” to play for. When the day of golf wrapped up the low gross winners for the day finished the course with a 69, and the low net winners with a 71.

Once inside after golf, cocktail hour preceded the banquet style dinner, which again, was completely gluten-free! This year’s honoree was Dr. Robert Bartolomeo of Gastroenterology Associates/Long Island Center for Digestive Health, who has been a major impact on the Celiac Disease community with his years of service and dedication to everyone around him. The foundation was honored to have someone of Dr. Bartolomeo’s background accept the award this year.

After Dr. Bartolomeo shared his speech with the crowd, Craig Pinto, the President of the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation, brought on stage Casey Regan, who was the very first winner of the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation’s College Scholarship program. Casey shared her story with the crowd, and spoke about how the scholarship has helped her as she made her transition from high school to Hofstra University.

The evening wrapped up with gift drawings and a silent auction. Some of this year’s auction items included autographed Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen guitars, as well as signed memorabilia donated by Billy Joel. The grand prize was an all expense paid trip to the 2012 Ryder Cup!

This event again drew praise from the attendees, who experienced a completely gluten-free day, but also had the chance to learn more about Celiac Disease and the impact it has on people. The Foundation now sets its sight on the 3rd Annual Golf Outing, scheduled for September 23rd, 2013!

Finally, a big thank you to our sponsors who made this event possible: B&B Coverage Group, Gastroenterology Associates/Long Island Center for Digestive Health, L.A. Pinto Construction, Cord Meyer Development, Finer Restoration, Hanover Insurance Group, The Hartford, Travelers, Merchants Insurance, SilvermanAcampora, NYCON Supply Corp, Adelphi University, Garfunkel Wild, Interboro Auto Insurance, CBS Coverage, Arizona Iced Tea, Bai 5, SoyJoy, Bakery on Main, Beanitos, Schar, Pamela’s Products, Mary’s Gone Crackers, Physicians Endoscopy, Nassau Anesthesia Associates, Equinox, and The Hason Family.

The proceeds of the golf outing will be to benefit the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation and its College Scholarship Program. This one of a kind scholarship helps students living with Celiac Disease off-set their meal costs by providing them with a one time scholarship award when entering college. ” Since this scholarship program dedicated to helping those with Celiac Disease is the only one of its kind in the country, the growth of the awards available is imperative after the amount of requests we received this past school year, the first year we offered it”, said K4CF President Craig Pinto.

The event will also feature multiple raffle and auction items that include sporting and concert event tickets, autographed memorabilia, and travel packages, to name a few. Multiple levels of sponsorship are available, and golfing and sponsor registration is currently open as well.

For information on how to become a sponsor, golfer, or to volunteer, please email info@kicking4celiac.org.

June 10th, 2012 – Making Tracks for Celiacs has a history over 10 years old, with success in each area they have reached out to. This past Sunday, June 10th, in Oyster Bay, NY was no different. For the very first time, the Making Tracks for Celiacs 5k, a staple event at the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland teamed up with the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation and the event was brought to Long Island, NY. The day was one filled with sunshine and music, and the event itself saw over 200 in attendance in its very first year!

Attendees were treated to Starbucks and gluten-free snacks early on as they prepared to hit the roads for the 5k portion of the event. Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation founder Craig Pinto fired the gun to signal the start of the event, as some participants took off at lightning speed, while others enjoyed the beautiful walk around some of the North Shore’s nicest, most scenic areas.

Setting the course record and finishing first overall on the day was Andrew Coelho, with an impressive time of 16:40. For the women, Sue Montefusco set the pace, crossing the finish line in 22:09. Participants ranged in ages from 5 years old to 72 years young, and medals were given out in four different categories. Teens, Twenties, Thirties, and Forty and over, for both male and female participants. Qualifiers were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Upon completion, everyone was treated to a vendor and snack fair, with a park full of gluten-free foods for everyone to enjoy waiting for them. Attendees had the chance to enjoy fresh baked goods provided by Alyssa’s Gluten-Free Baked Goods and Bare Naked Bakery, and samples from El’s Gluten-Free Snacks, Udi’s, Pamela’s Products, Enjoy Life, GFreely.com, SoyJoy, GoPicnic, and Little Soya. Bottled waters for the day were graciously donated by Whole Foods, music played by DJ Repeat kept everyone entertained, and Starbucks remained on site to offer ice cold drinks to everyone spending the day at Theodore Roosevelt Park in Oyster Bay.

“Being that this was my first experience putting a 5k event together, I kept my goals modest”, said Craig Pinto. “By the end of the day”, he added, “seeing how many people enjoyed themselves, enjoyed the course, and then had a chance to relax and enjoy their surroundings, it really made me appreciate how a small event like this can still impact so many different people, and put a smile on so many faces. I can’t wait to do it again!”. The Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation is now looking forward to its 2nd Annual Charity Golf Outing to be held this September 24th at Engineers Country Club in Roslyn Harbor, NY. For information on how to participate as a sponsor, golfer, or volunteer, please email info@kicking4celiac.org.

Making Tracks for Celiacs 2012 5k Results

Teenage Division – Male                   Twenties Division – Male           Thirties Division – Male     

Gold – Rob Parker, 27:19                      Gold – Andrew Coelho, 16:40         Gold – Peter Bronski, 21:11

Silver – Zack Westermann, 28:25         Silver – Kenneth King, 20:47           Silver – Kevin Harrison, 21:46

Bronze – John Haslbauer, 28:47           Bronze – Peter Wallace, 26:11        Bronze – Chris McGrath, 21:52

Forty & Over Division – Male

Gold – Eddie Reagan, 19:16

Silver – Daniel Gallagher, 24:08

Bronze – Theodore Zois, 24:30

Teenage Division – Female        Twenties Division – Female         Thirties Division – Female     

Gold – Clara Walker, 22:42              Gold – Sue Montefusco, 22:09        Gold – Tricia Dowd, 30:00

Silver – Allison Garippa, 36:49         Silver – Lindsey Schnitt, 28:21         Silver – Kristen Bowers, 30:11

Bronze – Roisin Kyne, 37:35           Bronze – Melissa Coelho, 28:50     Bronze – Maureen Thompson, 30:49

Forty & Over Division-Female

Gold – Maria Ehlinger, 27:16

Silver – Michelle Gatto, 28:41

Bronze – Sasha Wade, 28:44

This year’s event will take place on June 10th, 2012, with registration beginning at 8am, and the race starting at 9am. The 5k will begin and end in Theodore Roosevelt Park, in Oyster Bay.

“I am very excited to have Craig Pinto and his foundation Kicking 4 Celiac spearheading a 5k in Long Island on June 10th. Each year we increase our cities and reach. The Walks & Runs are very important venues to continue increasing awareness for celiac disease and gluten sensitivity and raising important funds to fund a cure and alternative treatments said Pam King, director of development and operations at the Center for Celiac Research.

Participants can join as individuals, or join as teams, and each person will be able to follow their total amounts raised directly on the website. All participants will receive performance t-shirts the day of the event, as well as be treated to gluten free snacks at the site.

To register for the event online, please visit www.celiacwalk.org and click on “Long Island, NY” on the left hand side.

For any questions, please email info@kicking4celiac.org

Casey Regan, of The Prout School, in Wakefield, RI, and Eitan Tye of Concord Academy, in Concord, MA, are this year’s winners. Both Casey and Eitan displayed numerous qualities that embody what the recipients of this scholarship define, and we are proud to award them with our inaugural scholarship.

                                                                                Casey Regan

Casey, who was diagnosed with Celiac Disease at age 4, is a great example of a well-rounded, high achieving student. She dedicates countless hours to her passion of dancing and theatrical production, at both The Prout School as well as with the Rhode Island Ballet Company. Casey’s achievements reach the classroom as well, where she is a member of the National Honor Society, and has also been selected by her schools administration as a student ambassador.

Along with her extremely impressive community service and extra curricular activities resume, Casey, in her own words stated, “I had to learn at a young age to accept things that cannot be changed.” She added, “I had to accept the fact that Celiac made me different, and that was never going to change. Still, I have not let it define me.” It is this resiliency and dedication that unquestionably makes Casey the type of candidate perfect for this inaugural award.

                                                                                   Eitan Tye

Eitan, who is at the top of his class at Concord Academy, has already received acceptance letters from such universities as Duke, University of Virginia, Washington University in St. Louis. Outside of being an incredible student, Eitan has already written and contributed articles to espn.com and bleacherreport.com, has an extensive community service background, coaches youth programs locally, and has been selected as a peer mentor by his high school.

Eitan lives with both Celiac Disease & Crohn’s Disease, and though both are difficult in their own way to deal with, his perseverance and his dedication were evident in his essay question response, when he stated “My illness has inspired me to work even harder in school and on the sports field…My diagnosis has sparked a fierce sense of independence within me, and I remain determined to prove that while reliant on the support of my parents and physicians, I can still achieve success purely on my own”, and closed with “In addition to fueling a renewed sense of purpose, battling Celiac and Crohn’s has instilled in me a strong desire to help others, especially children, gain confidence and fulfillment within their own lives.”

These two incredible young students will undoubtedly continue their success through college, and we are proud to have them represent not only the Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation with these awards, but represent the Celiac Disease community with their hard work, perseverance, and dedication.

The Kicking 4 Celiac Foundation is looking forward to opening its 2012-2013 scholarship award application later this year, and hopes that with the initial response and success of the first year, the second year will attract a larger amount of deserving students. More information as well as ways to help support this program can be found here.