Team Empie to return to Schoharie County CROP Hunger Walk

The 2022 Schoharie County Aggie Scott Memorial CROP Hunger Walk  will start and end at Cobleskill United Methodist Church on Sunday, May 1. Again this year Team Empie will be part of the event.

Registration will run from 1:15 till 1:30 with the short  program at 1:30. The 2.8-mile in-person  walk around Cobleskill will start soon thereafter. The route will be almost identical to last year's.

The Walk can again this year also be a virtual walk for those who can't participate on May 1. Virtual Walkers collect donations and walk any distance at any time that they like before 1:30  on May 1, when all donations should be turned in at Cobleskill United Methodist Church.

Virtual Walkers do not have  to walk 2.8 miles.

Each virtual and  in-person Walker will get a CROP tee shirt.  

During the program the MC will recognize Aggie Scott and Lee Empie, two senior citizens who passed away several years ago. Both were known for their amazing fundraising skills and for following the CROP route while both were  in their eighties.

Aggie was such a persuasive fundraiser that she once stopped her car when she saw a friend  who was also raising money for the event. She asked him to support her with some cash for a donation. 

He responded, ''But I'm walking too, so I'm trying to collect money, not give it away!''

Aggie replied, ''But if you give me a donation, that money will end up in the same place anyway!''

He said, ''Aggie, you're right.'' He gave her ten dollars. Aggie thanked him and drove away.

Aggie Scott was always the Walker turning in the most money on CROP Hunger Walk Sunday.

Lee Empie joined the local walk after Aggie passed away. Lee was an even more prolific CROP fundraiser, but his method was more technological  than Aggie's direct, personal approach. 

Besides using Aggie's direct approach, Lee used social media to reach out to his friends and supporters.

His children and grandchildren helped him by using their social  media contacts. Lee and his family soon brought in record amounts of money for the local CROP Hunger Walk.

For example, for the 2019 Walk Lee raised $2555. The Walker who brought in the second highest amount of money, John Jarvis,  turned in $535.

In 2017 Lee collected $2254 while teenager Nathalia Mazoff turned in $521 to earn a certificate for submitting the second-largest amount of money.  

In 2016 Lee turned in $2010 while Nathalia Mazoff and John Jarvis turned in a combined $715.

Lee Empie, with help from  his family, was clearly a gifted money raiser for our local CROP Hunger Walks.

After Lee passed away  on April 3, 2019, his fundraising skills lived on.

His family members formed Team Empie, which participated in the 2020 CROP Hunger Walk in person. Team Empie raised money virtually for the 2021 Walk. Both years Team Empie won awards for raising the most money for that year's CROP Hunger Walk.

For the 2021 CROP Hunger Walk, Team Empie raised  $3330 of the $7027 turned in on CROP Hunger Walk Sunday, Team Empie actually raised  47% of all money turned in that day to Tracy Smith during registration.

Team Empie will be part of the 2022 Schoharie County Aggie Scott Memorial  CROP Hunger Walk. 

John Jarvis of the local CROP Hunger Walk Planning Committee is very glad to have Team Empie back for another year of fighting hunger locally and everywhere.

''With Lee Empie's family joining us again this year, I know that the Schoharie County Aggie Scott Memorial CROP Hunger Walk will be a big success by our standards,'' Jarvis added. ''All of us involved with the local CROP Hunger Walk are so proud of the dedication and support of the Empie family.''

A new team will join the local CROP Hunger Walk this year.

A group of SUNY- Cobleskill students, advised by Pr. Ray Richards of Calvary Assembly of God,  will join the CROP Hunger Walk virtually on the SUNY campus a few days before the May 1 fundraiser. 

The local CROP Hunger Walk planning team  is very excited to have SUNY college students involved in the event.  

Members of the local CROP Hunger Walk planning team are Treasurer Marty Blankowitz, Statistician Tracy Smith and Arranger John Jarvis.

CROP stands for ''Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty.''

Anyone with questions can call 518-234-2933.