A little rain doesn't stall Medina Creative Housing poker run

MEDINA — Mike Boger of Brunswick and Bill Ferrer of Medina were riding their motorcycles Saturday through Wellington in Lorain County when the first round of rain hit. It slowed them down but didn’t stop them.

“I was more worried about my bike than I was myself,” Boger said. “I’ve got too much money in it.”

When the second round of rain started, Boger and Ferrer were in Hinckley, and had stopped at Z’s Cream & Bean, a homemade ice cream shop on Boston Road. They waited out the showers there.

“We were just stuck there eating ice cream,” Ferrer joked.

Boger and Ferrer were participating in the seventh annual Ride for Independence Poker Run, a fundraiser for Medina Creative Housing.

The poker run was followed by the 12th annual Independence Walk, another Medina Creative Housing fundraiser. The poker run and independence walk have been paired together for several years.

The rain added irony to Saturday’s events, which were originally scheduled for July 15 but were postponed due to anticipated rain. Saturday was the rain date.

“It’s only fitting that we would have challenges through the day,” Diane DePasquale-Hagerty, CEO of Medina Creative Housing, told event participants Saturday. “That’s what we work with. That’s what we do.”

Medina Creative Housing, established 30 years ago, provides housing, services and support for those with disabilities so they can live as independently as possible.

The poker run launched at 9 a.m. Bikers paid $25 to participate. The money goes to the Resident Enrichment Program, which offers education, social activities and recreation for Medina Creative Housing residents.

Funds for the enrichment program were also provided by walk-poker run sponsors and through raffles at the event.

Bikers rode to Ken Ganley Nissan on Montville Road in Medina; Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman; Strike Out Lanes in Wellington; Z’s Cream & Bean in Hinckley; Herman’s Pub & Grub in Brunswick; Medina Creative Housing’s new Creative Wellness Center in Weymouth; and Medina Eagles Aerie on Lafayette Road.

At each stop, bikers drew a poker card. The one with the best hand won a prize.

At 3 p.m., bikers assembled at the Medina Creative Housing site on North Huntington Street and enjoyed grilled burgers, pizza and games with MCH clients and families. Patrick the DJ – Patrick Olah, a Creative Housing resident – played tunes.

About an hour later, Medina Creative Housing supporters walked about a half mile from North Huntington to the Grand Café, where they indulged in a little ice cream. Then they strolled back to North Huntington for cake and cookies.

Katie Malkus, a Medina Creative Housing service provider who works directly with MCH clients, took part in the independence walk. She also volunteered at the second poker run stop at Strike Out Lanes in Wellington.

“It started raining after the second stop,” Malkus said. “We were praying for the bikers.”

Malkus, a math tutor, started working at Medina Creative Housing about a year or two ago. She had been looking for a second job.

“This organization does such amazing things for their clients,” Malkus said. “And the clients are so sweet and loving and childlike and (nonjudgmental) and funny.”

Adam Cerny, a client who was the very first tenant in the Medina Creative Housing apartment complex on North Huntington, attended Saturday’s event with his parents, Debbie and Mark Cerny of Lafayette Township.

Adam was 23 when he moved from his parents’ home. Medina Creative Housing taught him all he needed to know.

“We were scared to let him go on his own,” Mark Cerny said. “Now, he can do everything for himself.”

Contact Bob Sandrick at areanews@medina-gazette.com.