By Erica Schwartz
Bethpage resident Wai Law will run 200 miles in 48 hours over Labor Day as part of the Run 4 Miles Charity Challenge. Law will be running a four-mile loop through Levittown 50 times to raise money for Agape Meals for Kids and the Thomas Hartman Center for Parkinson’s Research at Stonybrook University.
Law and long-time friend Dennis Almodovar, who helps Law plan his charity runs, have been using their running abilities to fundraise for those in need for many years.
“We both started in 2006 to join the Team in Training, a charity endurance training program that raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to fund cancer research,” Law said. “We then went on to become volunteer run coaches of Team in Training and continue to fundraise for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society over the years.”
Almodovar said this is the fourth time that the Thomas Hartman Center for Parkinson’s Research at Stonybrook University will benefit from the run.
Law and Almodovar chose this charitable partner to honor the memory of Almodovar’s father.
“The fundraising is done in memory of my father, Ruben Almodovar, who suffered with Parkinson’s for 12 years,” Almodovar said. “We met Father Thomas Hartman when he started the foundation, and eventually it was passed over to Stony-brook-university, and they have continued the great work.”
The Town of Oyster Bay honored Law in 2021 for a 555-mile run that raised nearly $15,000 for the Thomas Hartman Center. In July 2022, Law ran 320 miles to raise money for Parkinson’s research and the Adolescent Medicine Fund for Excellence.
This is the first time that Agape Meals for Kids has been chosen as a beneficiary of the race.
Agape Meals for Kids is a Long Island-based nonprofit started in December 2021. The organization partners with school districts across Long Island to provide prepared meals for food-insecure students to take home over the weekend when they cannot access school lunch. According to the organization’s website, “agape” comes from the Greek word for “the highest form of love.”
Law said he wanted to find an organization to raise money for this year’s run that supports children experiencing hunger due to his own experiences as a child.
Law said his family struggled to afford necessities like food, causing him to feel envy toward his peers and develop a low sense of self-esteem. He said this experience greatly impacted his daily life growing up.
“At school, I couldn’t keep up with my grades,” Law said. “Anytime I wasn’t in school or doing chores—a lot of daily chores for a kid my age—at home, I would be sneaking out to find ways to get my hands on food.”
Law said his own experience with childhood hunger has empowered him to give back to those in need.
“With this childhood experience, I am determined to help kids who are less fortunate,” Law said. “I have been a big supporter of Feed the Children and other food banks, even when I was not doing so well financially in the past.”
Irene Michalos, volunteer executive director and founder of Agape Meals for Kids, said the organization is grateful for the support and the money Law is raising.
“It’s incredibly rare to see someone take on such a huge challenge for the benefit of others,” she said. “Wai’s effort is a perfect example of agape, selfless love in action. Both [Almovador and Law] are showcasing what it means to love and serve others through their commitment and hard work”
The fully volunteer-led organization has grown to serve 240 kids across the island, Michalos said. In September, the organization plans to partner with East Northport and Greenlawn schools to provide meals to children in those districts.
Michalos said her organization’s greatest challenge is keeping up with the increasing number of students who need its resources.
“The donations will be crucial in allowing us to continue to purchase nutritious food to pack into backpacks, which are then distributed to children facing food insecurity in local school districts,” Michalos said. “Wai’s fundraising effort is vital for maintaining our ability to provide consistent and reliable food assistance through our backpack program to children in need.”
This backpack meals program is what Law said cemented his and Almodovar’s decision to choose Agape Meals for Kids as one of this year’s beneficiaries.
“Their unique partnership with schools to identify and provide weekend backpack meals to kids in need seems very direct and effective,” he said. “After speaking and meeting with Irene days later, we knew that it was our destiny to help.”
From Friday, Aug. 30 to Sunday, Sept. 1, Law will run the 200 miles through Levittown as a four-mile loop 50 times. Almodovar said this unique format will benefit the race.
“This new format will be much easier logistically to organize and have people join us,” Almodovar said. “Each loop also starts and ends at Green Street Eatery in Levittown, which is our corporate sponsor and is owned by good friends.”
Almodovar said he and Law are excited to welcome friends and family to the event over the course of the two days.
“We are looking forward to meeting new people,” Almodovar said. “We are also trying to create a little bit of a party atmosphere so that people can enjoy the food and music and make donations that affect people right here on Long Island.”
Law said he is looking forward to spending time with friends and family but also anticipates the moments of solo-run time.
“I most look forward to having the time by myself in the middle of the night and enjoying the quiet moments, whether I’m feeling tired or in a lot of pain,” he said. “This is the time when I can see clarity, reflect on how I can do better as a person, and perhaps think about my next big challenge.”
When asked about how he stays motivated to run long distances, Law said it’s because he can.
“I want to find out if I can meet what seems to be impossible and to learn what it’s like to go beyond my perceived limit,” he said. “I run simply because each running experience transcends this ordinary me.”
For more information about Law’s upcoming run, visit facebook.com/run4miles
