One year ago today I was sobbing on the treadmill @ Renzo
Gracie PA, a place most would describe as an MMA gym, but one that often serves
as my cathedral. I was in between
clients last December 5th, getting my own cardio in, as my playlist gave way to
frenzied alerts and notifications. My
lifelong friend Anthony Ceccomancini and the love of his life very narrowly
escaped death as their home and everything except their pets, a box of
important documents, and their cars, succumbed to the wildfire that engulfed
them. Over the next few days while
sharing the gofundme link that my high school lab partner and fellow thespian
Amy Jo initiated on their behalf, I posted that I would “personally host a
parade in honor of their neighbor, Jacqui Bally.” The Bally’s delayed their own get-away as Jacqui
fiercely pounded on Cecco and Elise’s door at 4am or so that morning. She saved their lives. So, believe me, that parade is
happening. But, not in some showy
display that Cecco would never abide.
Indeed, every time throughout this year that I have asked, “What else I
can do to help?” Cecco emphatically responds: “Just keep sending us your love
and support.” I can’t stop there. Maybe it is all those drama club rehearsals
where TL ingrained that “show; don’t tell” discipline; maybe it is the outgrowth
of far more recent lessons where exercise serves as exorcist, but I confess
that I have been in cahoots with Elise Drozdowski to find a way to both repay
the heavens for their escape and restore their spirits as they work through
recovering their hearts and home. I created
a Charity Miles campaign and asked Elise to help me choose a charity that Cecco
would want to support. After a little covert
action on Elise’s part, we selected Habitat for Humanity. All the donations come from sponsors, so I am
not soliciting money; just miles. I am
donating all of my miles between now and December 5, 2019. Please join my Charity Miles team #findyes or download the app and simply choose Habitat for Humanity as your charity of choice.
