In February 2007, Frank Castellino sponsored a benefit for Stephanie Jallen to help her realize her dream. Stephanie wants to compete in the 2014 Paralympics. So Frank organized a group of people to come and participate in making that dream a reality.
It’s now January 2008 and the tables have turned. Stephanie has sponsored a benefit for Frank. I asked her what made her do this benefit. Her answer was as simple as it gets: “He helped me with my benefit, and I thought I’d step in and help him.” She won’t even take all the credit for this very successful event. She told me that “I couldn’t have done it without all the support and help from my friends, my family, the Wyoming Valley Motorcycle club, ABATE and the people of the Moose Lodge 1207. Without them this wouldn’t have happened.”
So how did this all happen? Stephanie said that she started out by putting flyers all around and then people started to help her. She even took the money that she was saving for a laptop to fund the startup of this benefit and to buy the food.
This was a pretty amazing feat for an 11-year-old. Once you talk to Stephanie, however, you see that with this petite 6th grader nothing is impossible. She has more energy than any five people I know. She told me that she is “focused on helping other people and making it to my dream.” Making the 2014 Paralympics is her dream. She’s already won a gold medal on her way there. Frank told me that there will be another benefit for Stephanie in June. I hope that you all will come out for that.
There was a steady stream of people coming in for an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. People had to park blocks away because of the number of guests. This group is much more accustomed to parking motorcycles around a benefit site, but the cars got them there just as well.
Stephanie believes that it was because of all of the great publicity that so many people came. Personally, I think it was Stephanie’s magnetic personality that got them there.
There was even Ryan Leckey from WNEP on hand to get the story of this amazing young woman and the man who is doing an amazing job of recovering.
That’s the story I started out to write. The story about how far Frank has come since his accident on Oct. 17, 2007, the terrible accident that happened as he left work to come to this same Moose Lodge to help make wings that night.
Back in early November I had the good fortune to talk to Frank’s wife Diane who was coping with the aftereffects of an accident caused by a drunk driver that almost killed her husband. At that time, she was grateful for all of the thoughts and prayers that had been sent their way. These prayers would explain the amazing progress that Frank has seen since the accident. He’s home now, since right before Christmas, and with the help of Home Health therapy he’s coming along nicely.
When I asked Frank how he felt about the whole thing, he said that “He was overwhelmed and that there was no way to top it.” He also said, “As bad as I felt in October, that’s as good as I feel right now.” Stephanie’s comment on the turnout was “its way over the roof and above.” She said this as she held court with everyone there. She’s quite the popular young woman. It’s easy to see why. Frank and Diane are both “overwhelmed” with Stephanie and the hard work she’s done for this day.
With all of the good things happening here, it’s hard not to forget that the reason we were there was because of the actions of a drunk driver.
“The driver that hit Frank has waived all charges, and the case is now going to the Court of Common Pleas,” said Frank’s brother, attorney Joe Castellino “This more than likely puts her at the mercy of the Court.” Ironically, his daughter was hit by a drunk driver just Saturday night in Savannah, Ga..
Luckily, she was alright, said her mother, Joann. But it just goes to show you that drunk drivers are not just out in the summer, they are not just here in Pennsylvania and they don’t just hit and injure people we don’t know.
So as we wend our way toward spring and the weather warms enough for the bikes to again come out, make it a point to not drink and drive. For as you give, so shall you receive.
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