CLARION CO., Pa. (EYT) – The Friends of Christian Poker Run Benefit is scheduled for Sunday, July 23. The group has chosen Enna and Amara Neiswonger as their 2023 recipients.
Enna is three years old and Amara is two. Enna has multiple heart issues, and her sister has Type-1 Diabetes. They are the daughters of Destiny Corle and Clayton Neiswonger.
Friends of Christian’s Rodney Beck told exploreClarion.com that the selection process this year had expanded, opening up the range of possible recipients for the Friends of Christian ride.
“We are lucky enough at this point to have thousands of people who know about Friends of Christian and our ongoing mission,” Beck said. “We have nominations throughout the year and vet every family through discussion at our meetings.”
Destiny Corle and Clayton Neiswonger with their children, Enna and Amara.
The group narrows down the families based on location, the medical issues, and what resources they have. Then, they visit the families to learn more before ultimately choosing a recipient.
“Every member works tirelessly until we can give each chosen family as much moral, spiritual, and financial support as is possible every year,” Beck said. “All of our members are like family, and we work together like that every day.”
Choosing Enna and Amara was complicated, but Beck identified one key factor.
“The honesty from the family was amazing,” he said. “From the time they came onto our radar until they were the family we chose, they were very honest and upfront about every aspect of themselves. The family needs our help. Enna and Amara are as sweet and innocent as they look in their pictures. Clayton works very hard to provide as much as he can for the entire family, and Destiny provides a clean and supportive home the girls can live in and come home to after every doctor’s visit. All of our families are very deserving. This family meets every requirement and exceeds those requirements while remaining humble and down to earth. The Neiswonger family is the very embodiment of why Friends of Christian exists.”
Beck said that the Neiswonger family needs a lot of support.
“There is no limit to the needs of this family,” he said. “Their doctor bills are high and growing. They often need to eat out and stay in hotels whenever hospital or doctor appointments dictate. The family can use moral support daily, and there are times they could use somebody to watch the children while they have some down time. This is often called ‘Respite Care,’ and can help a family regain the rest and strength they need to give their children top quality support. Friends of Christian will be there now and moving forward in every way we can.”
Friends of Christian takes donations to raise funds, but they also take gifts to raffle off during their biggest fundraiser, the annual Poker Run.
They also sell t-shirts, a gun raffle, and look for support year round.
More information can be found at the group’s Facebook page.
“This time of year is always very exciting,” Beck said. “We are closing in on the day of the Poker Run and making sure everything is ready to go to make it another successful event. This year in particular excites me due to the way the charity has jelled and is continuing to become the vision we have set out to become. We rarely have issues which aren’t solved by the end of the day.
“I am excited to see what Friends of Christian has become and the efficiency we are achieving to give the families and the community the best version of ourselves. We have been blessed to add the Venango Chamber of Commerce as a partner this year. Add into that mix how worthy the Neiswonger Family is, and I wake up excited to be president of such a fine and worthy charity.”
The run will start at the Clarion Eagles Club at 11:00 a.m. From there, the ride heads to Cousin Basils in Clarington; Ray’s Hot Spot in Marienville; Billy’s in Oil City; and wraps up at Limestone Fire Hall. There, the group will hold the basket raffle and meal. All legal street vehicles can join the ride for $25.00 per vehicle. The dinner is open to the public at 4:00 p.m. for $10.00.
More information about the Friends of Christian, including stories about their 10th anniversary, can be found here, including information on previous events and about Christian Burgdofer, for whom the group is named.
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