Cortland man running to help NOAS
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CORTLAND – Those who know James Holko of Cortland are betting he’ll be able to finish an ambitious running challenge to raise money and awareness for Northeast Ohio Adoption Services (NOAS), a foster care and adoption agency that has served the area for 48 years.
Everyone else can make a wager to bet whether he's able to pull it off.
November is National Adoption Month, and Holko, 44, decided to challenge himself to run a specific number of miles each day to correspond with the date.
For example, he ran one mile Nov. 1, two on Nov. 2, and he will run 10 miles today and so on. If he makes it to Nov. 30, he will run 30 miles that day, bringing the total number of miles for the month to 465.
“It’s a pretty insane challenge for a normal runner,” he said, explaining he’s not even sure he’ll be able to finish it.
“I’m sure going to try. I’m a pretty determined guy.”
After his first full week of running, the effort – called Project 465 – has already raised over $5,000, he said.
Holko is inviting the public to join the challenge or get involved in other ways.
Businesses can sponsor Holko for $50, and he will wear apparel with their logo or name on it. Sponsorship is also available for individuals, and anyone who wants to donate can do so.
Supporters can donate $25 to predict whether Holko will complete the challenge. He said they can pick the mile they think he will make it to before he “taps out.”
So essentially, those people would be betting on him to lose, he said. The winner, or whoever comes closest to picking the correct mile, will receive half the total pot, with the remainder going to NOAS. If there's more than one winner, half the pot will be split evenly, he said.
“We are incredibly grateful to James for thinking of us and supporting our mission,” Nikole Baringer, NOAS communications director, said.
The private, nonprofit agency has matched more than 1,300 children with adoptive families in northeast Ohio.
Holko said he came up with Project 465 as a way to challenge himself to run more.
He ran his first marathon in Akron when he was 31, but he took some time off after suffering a knee injury. He began running again two years ago, with his son, Thomas, 18, joining him.
“I started out running 5 miles, then 6 and then 7,” he said. “Normally, I would run about 30 miles in a week.”
To prepare, Holko said he’s careful to stay hydrated and eats nutritious, high-protein meals. Adequate sleep in important for recovery, he said, and a massage gun helps if he’s feeling sore.
Holko worked for a number of years as a corrections officer at the Trumbull County jail and then took a job with the U.S. Postal Service before striking out on his own as an artist.
He paints or does pencil drawings, focusing on portraits and comics.
Holko said Project 465 is a fun way to get people involved, offer them a way to win a bit of money and raise funds for a good cause.
“It’s just nice to see how much NOAS has changed these kids’ lives,” he said, adding that any money raised will help with the $17,000 to $18,000 it costs for adoption.
His sister-in-law, Cara Lewis Holko, board chairperson for NOAS, said there are more than 3,000 kids in Ohio waiting to be placed with families and more than half are teenagers.
NOAS, founded in 1978 by her late aunt, Barbara Lewis Roberts, takes hard-to-place kids such as teens or sibling groups who “are trying to find a family before they age out,” Lewis Holko said.
She has faith in her brother-in-law, saying she believes he’s determined enough to pull it off.
“I totally think he can do it,” she said.
For more information, visit https://givebutter.com/noas-project-465.