The Municipal June 2021

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Personality Profile Mayor Joe Schember and a police escort joined Fleming as he tackled the last leg of the run.

(Photo provided)

Going the distance: Public works employee runs to help raise funds

By JULIE YOUNG | The Municipal

Erie, Pa., Public Works employee Pat Fleming hasn’t been running for long, but he knows how to make every stride count. In March, he completed a 50-mile run across the county to raise funds for Erie’s small downtown businesses that have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pat Fleming 42 THE MUNICIPAL | JUNE 2021

Fleming came up with the idea for the run after visiting Erie Ale Works with a friend.

As the two chatted with one of the brewery co-owners about how uncertain things were for small businesses in the downtown area, Fleming felt compelled to try and help.

“At this point, it was two days before Pennsylvania’s second lockdown, and I just got the idea that maybe I could use running as a way to raise money and awareness for some

of the local businesses that were so obviously struggling,” he said.

Fleming collaborated with the Erie Downtown Partnership, an organization that serves as an agent of change in the area bounded by Presque Isle Bay to the north, the 14th Street railway bridge to the south and stretching from Sassafras to Holland streets. Together, they created the Frozen 50: Go the Mile for Main Street Run, which