However, the two will continue to support and attend the event.

“We will still be involved,” Wayne Hotelling said Friday as the annual Laurel Memorial Run Relay kicked off at McCrea Point Park in Jamestown.

Several local, county and state representatives as well as members of law enforcement gathered to discuss the importance of the Laurel Memorial Run and the work carried out by The Resource Center to help those with special needs.

Dick Erickson with The Resource Center welcomed everyone to the 26th year of the Laurel Memorial Run. “On behalf of the board we are so appreciative of all the participants, the employees, the family, the parents and especially Wayne and Elaine Hotelling, who started this back in 1997,” he said.

Austin Mitchell started the relay from Jamestown to Dunkirk with a police escort.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist said it was an honor to host the start of the relay run.

“We are honored and always touched to have you all start part of the run right here in the city of Jamestown,” he said.

The Laurel Memorial Run was started by the Hotellings in honor of their oldest daughter, Laurel, who had special needs.

State Sen. George Borrello said the Hotelling family and The Resource Center have persevered for many years to continue hosting the fundraiser for The Resource Center and raised a significant amount of support for people with special needs.

Borrello also presented Wayne and Elaine Hotelling with a certificate to commemorate the event.

“Thank you so much for your dedication,” he said. “Thank you so much for highlighting and celebrating folks with special needs. Thank you for making what our community is, a great group of people that supports each other, and this is another great example of that.”

Assemblyman Andy Goodell said Laurel was a special lady who brought “a lot of love and life into this world.”

“The residents that are here and the participants at The Resource Center, each bring something special,” he said. “For over a quarter of a century, this event has helped the resource center. That’s a great milestone.”

County Executive PJ Wendel said events like the Laurel Memorial Run are what makes being a county executive enjoyable.

“When you think of the lives and the people that Laurel touched in her time here, it goes to show you what great people we have here in Chautauqua county,” Wendel said.

Sheriff James Quattrone said each year the run keeps the memory of Laurel alive for the community.

“We want to thank The Resource Center for continuing to keep that memory alive,” he said. “It means so much to the community.”

The annual Laurel Run and other Resource Center events are organized by Filling the Gap in order to raise money to support The Resource Center’s work in the community.

“Without The Resource Center, without the volunteers, without the sponsors, this would not be continuing,” Wayne Hotelling said.

Wayne Hotelling also said November will be five years since the passing of their daughter.

Laurel passed away in 2017 at the age of 54. Despite facing many challenges, Laurel lived a full life and was greatly supported by The Resource Center, her family, and the community.

“We’re just pleased that God gave us our daughter Laurel,” he said. “She’s still here. Her spirit is within so many of all of us and it remains.”

The Hotelling family said The Resource Center was what enabled them to successfully navigate the challenges of raising a daughter with Down Syndrome.

“We didn’t know what Down Syndrome was, but it was The Resource Center that we turned to and it was there that we found a lot of the help that we needed,” Wayne Hotelling said.

Austin Mitchell volunteered to run the first portion of the race Friday from Jamestown and was escorted with the flag by police on the road.

After the conclusion of the relay in Dunkirk, several races and events are hosted in Silver Creek. Saturday’s events will include a 5K Walk, 1K Fun Walk, 8K Run, Children Fun Runs, and Laurel Memorial Lap.

The two-day fundraiser is both an opportunity for the community to celebrate the lives of people with disabilities and to financially contribute to the improvement of their lives.

The money raised throughout the course of the event will be given to the Laurel Run Fund at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and will be used to provide employment and work training opportunities for people with disabilities and promote disability awareness initiatives.