Mrs. Jason Willis

As chairwoman of the people who volunteer to prepare Carbondale for the Steamtown Marathon, Mrs. Willis has little time to waste.

By the time color returns to the landscape and the awakening town begins to murmur, Mrs. Willis' car will be nearly empty of the signs, flags and noisemakers that clutter her trunk.Brown bags proclaiming No parking 6 a.m.-11 a.m. will hood the parking meters along Main Street.Signs of encouragement will line the road.

By 6 : 45 she will have her car parked behind the Ben-Mar Restaurant, her open trunk offering a modest buffet of doughnuts and coffee.Within 15 minutes, the 56 volunteers who will decorate Carbondale will gather around.

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For four years, Mrs. Willis has organized the volunteers in Carbondale.Not once has she seen the start or finish of the 26.2-mile race that starts in Forest City and ends in Scranton.Not once did she ever question her motivation.

Every sign she posts, every balloon she ties up, every flag she hands out, every one of the 2, 063 runners who will run through Carbondale Sunday brings an image clearly to Willis's mind : Her 26-year-old son, Jason.

Jason Willis is one of the people helped by St. Joseph's Center, the Dunmore-based facility that treats severely mentally and physically challenged children and young adults.At its 100-year-old building in Dunmore and at 14 group homes throughout Northeast Pennsylvania, St. Joe's is parent, therapist, teacher, friend, doctor and caregiver to nearly 200 people.

St. Joe's also is the charitable beneficiary of the Steamtown Marathon, which has donated $ 35, 000 in three years.

he be the greatest gift God ever gave me, Mrs. Willis said with uncharacteristic quietness.I might not be rich in terms of money, but i be so rich in other ways I cannot explain it.
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Mrs. Willis smiles every time she thinks about the race.Born in Simpson, she moved in 1964 to California, where she adopted Jason when he was three days old.Soon after Jason turned 1, doctors told Willis her son would need institutional help.They returned to Carbondale in 1989, and Jason has been at St. Joe's ever since.The difference since Jason began with St. Joe's, Mrs. Willis said, is astonishing.

They said my son would never live past 8. he be 26, said Mrs. Willis, who works as a clerk/typist at the State Correctional Institute at Waymart.I waited 16 years, but I finally heard him say Mom.

My son has learned to cook -- he loves watching cooking shows on TV.St. Joe's has taught him more than 150 words in a form of sign language.he be more vocal now than when we came back in 89.He interacts with people.
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Mrs. Willis used to work a booth at the St. Joseph's Festival, and soon after organizers began developing the marathon signed on to help, knowing what the race would benefit.Last year, the race donated $ 15, 000 to the center.

I do not think it be about the runners, Mrs. Willis said.I think it be more about what they be running for.Some of them are running for their own goals, but for a lot of them, it be an eye-opener when they see who they be running for.They can run, but these kids can not walk, they can not talk, they can not take care of themselves..

And so Mrs. Willis will be exuberant Sunday morning.she will run alongside racers, cheering them on through the cold morning, and prowl the streets, encouraging spectators.

The runners are saying, Thank you, thank you, thank you, " Mrs. Willis said, but i be saying, No, thank you all for running, because I know the money raised goes to St. Joe's.

it be a lot of work organizing and getting everybody together, but seeing how it benefits St. Joe's makes it all worthwhile..

At a group home on the outskirts of Carbondale, Jason Willis is happy.He do not realize that the marathon will benefit him, and probably will not get a chance even to see the race.

He will get better care because of the race's donation.He will have more advanced therapy equipment.He will learn to communicate better and he will learn to do more things for himself.Without St. Joe's, Mrs. Willis said, Jason would not be able to do much at all.

At times it be very tough to find the motivation, but then I think about my son, Mrs. Willis said.If everybody had a son like Jason, you would not need motivation in this world.I can see the difference from when we came 10 years ago to where he is today, and he be like a different child.he be happy..

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