Now that the weather is getting warmer, why not get out there and walk or run for a good cause?
Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) will host its annual fundraising 5K Run/Walk at Silver Lake Park on Saturday, April 12, to support critical services provided to newborns in RUMC’s Wayne Zenna Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Also, the event will be held in memory of Arnold Obey and Rory DeCristoforo.
RUMC’s NICU is a Level III intensive care unit consisting of 19 intensive- and intermediate-care beds and six continuing-care beds. The unit specializes in the care of high-risk newborns, with some weighing only 1 pound at birth.
Rory was the youngest child of Mark and Meg DeCristoforo. Mark DeCristoforo currently serves as the athletic director and head football coach for St. Peter’s Boys High School in West Brighton. Rory, 7, was tragically killed on New Year’s Day 2024, when a fire broke out in her home. Rory was rushed to RUMC following the fire, where, despite the best efforts of the hospital’s medical staff, she lost her life. Born at RUMC, Rory spent her first few days being cared for in the hospital’s NICU.
Obey, who died in 2020, had a stand-out basketball career at Wagner College, where he was a player and eventual assistant coach. He would also serve later in his career as the head basketball coach for the Staten Island Academy Tigers and as a college basketball referee. Off the court, Obey was a local teacher, assistant principal and principal. An avid runner, Obey ran track as a student first at DeWitt Clinton High School and then at Wagner College. His running career as an adult included nearly four decades of participating in the New York City Marathon, having run in 38 consecutive races.
