"Flying Flamingos" raising money for Kathy Seastedt Fund

Autumn is upon us, and at this time of year, it is common to see flocks of Canada geese and other birds flying south for the winter.  But on Thanksgiving morning, a flock of flamingos will be migrating north to Buffalo to raise money for TRC Foundation.

A group of Fredonia area women will be taking flight next month to raise money for TRC, and they invite anyone to join their flock.

The women call themselves the Flying Flamingos, and each Thanksgiving Day they dress in pink (including flamingo hats) and travel to Buffalo to participate in the Turkey Trot, an 8-kilometer race.  The ladies don't take the race too seriously, as they jog together along the course.

Each year, the group raises money for a charitable cause.  This year, group member Andrea Tramuto persuaded the rest of the Flamingos to raise money for “Dream On” – The Kathy Seastedt Community Support Fund.  Kathy was a 25-year TRC employee who passed away unexpectedly in 2008, and Andrea is her sister.

"TRC and the clients Kathy worked with was such an important part of her life that I cannot think of a greater way to honor her memory than by giving to the population she believed in, advocated for and treasured," said Andrea in explaining why the Flamingos are raising money for the Dream On fund.  "Having Kathy as my sister was my greatest blessing.  I am overcome with gratitude that I have now been blessed with an amazing group of friends/Flamingos to support her cause and make her proud!"

Andrea believes none of her fellow Flamingos knew Kathy, but that hasn't stopped them from enthusiastically raising money.  The group created a page on TRC Foundation's online fund-raising site and has been raising donations from family and friends.  As of October 28, the Flamingos had raised more than $2,100, 85 percent of the way toward their goal of $2,500.

The Flying Flamingos had their start several years ago, and they are an example of the great things that can happen when one person has an idea and gets her friends to help make to a reality.

“Back in 2005, I was training for my first marathon to help benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and some new friends I had made from Buffalo encouraged me to run the Delaware YMCA Turkey Trot,” said Pam Benchley, the Flamingos’ founder.  “All I heard about was how fun it was, everyone dresses up, etc.  Well, all I had was a flamingo hat, so off I went.  To my surprise, none of my friends dressed up!  So I thought, `We need to change this!’  And one flamingo became three, then 12, then 20.

“Well, as we were growing in numbers, I started to think, `Look at the power of this! These people WANT to get dressed up and run around for a great cause; why not help out a cause close to OUR area as well?’  So we came up with the idea, if you would like to be a Flamingo, we would appreciate it if you collected donations for a local – Chautauqua County – organization.  This year, after talking with Andrea, it just made sense to help out the 'Dream On' Foundation, and we are honored to do so.

“Our numbers are now over 40 strong Flamingos (and a few guys!), and we create quite a site on Thanksgiving morning as the 'Flock' makes our way down Delaware Avenue!  We have been told we are a race favorite, and everyone from kids to older folks look for the bright, pink flock and cheer us on!”

Pam concluded, “Thank you for this opportunity to help give back a little something.”

The Dream On fund supports more than 100 individuals with disabilities each year, and the fund typically assists people who need immediate, unfunded support.  The fund receives many requests for services each year, so it needs donations in order to continue to meet the community's need.

If you would like to make a donation to the Dream On fund in support of the Flying Flamingos' efforts, you may do so in one of two ways – by making an online donation at www.firstgiving.com/trcfoundation (where you also can leave a message of gratitude or encouragement to the Flamingos) or by making a check payable to "TRC Foundation/Flamingos" and sending it to TRC Foundation, 200 Dunham Avenue, Jamestown, NY, 14701.

The Flying Flamingos also invite anyone from TRC to join them for the Turkey Trot.  The group charters a bus to take them to and from Buffalo for the race.  And men are welcome too!  For information, contact Andrea at jeffndre@netsync.net.

Click here to read about the Feel Good Fair, another fund-raiser for the Kathy Seastedt Fund.