National Clothesline

Diego Mancilla, owner of Jami’s Cleaners in Long Island, was among more than 20,000 runners in the Walt Disney World Marathon at Disney World in Florida in January.

He raised nearly $5,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by his participation. His goal was to raise $4,000 and Mancilla said he was “awestruck” by the generosity of customers and friends in the drycleaning industry who helped him surpass that goal.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a non-profit organization that does research and helps families pay for medical treatment.

“My time is nothing to brag about, 5:41,” he said. “But my ultimate goal was to raise $4,000 for LLS and to finish my first marathon.”

After a 3 a.m. wake-up call to arrive at the staging area in the Epcot parking lot at 4 a.m., Mancilla and other runners took off at 6 a.m. “There were so many runners in front of me that I could not move. The first mile took me over 22 minutes,” he said. “I finally started running at about mile two.”

The course took runners through Epcot, Disney, MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom.

“My favorite was running through Main Street and running through Cinderella’s Castle,” he said. “I had to stop along the way to pose with some of the Disney characters that were cheering us along.”

“The entire event was purely magical but the best thing of all through this incredible journey is to know that I am surrounded by friends and neighbors who care enough for others to give in these uncertain times.”






						A magical marathon



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						Diego Mancilla, owner of Jami’s Cleaners in Long Island, was among more than 20,000 runners in the Walt Disney World Marathon at Disney World in Florida in January. He raised nearly $5,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by his participation. His goal was to raise $4,000 and Mancilla said he was “awestruck” by the generosity of customers and friends in the drycleaning industry who helped him surpass that goal. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a non-profit organization that does research and helps families pay for medical treatment. “My time is nothing to brag about, 5:41,” he said. “But my ultimate goal was to raise $4,000 for LLS and to finish my first marathon.” After a 3 a.m. wake-up call to arrive at the staging area in the Epcot parking lot at 4 a.m., Mancilla and other runners took off at 6 a.m. “There were so many runners in front of me that I could not move. The first mile took me over 22 minutes,” he said. “I finally started running at about mile two.” The course took runners through Epcot, Disney, MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom. “My favorite was running through Main Street and running through Cinderella’s Castle,” he said. “I had to stop along the way to pose with some of the Disney characters that were cheering us along.” “The entire event was purely magical but the best thing of all through this incredible journey is to know that I am surrounded by friends and neighbors who care enough for others to give in these uncertain times.”