By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

This Memorial Day weekend, the Cpl. Kyle R. Schneider Foundation and the Friends of Van Buren Park are teaming up again to recognize those who have served our country with the second annual Honor and Remember Run/Walk.

“The proceeds go to benefit both organizations. This year, what we’d like to do for the park is to purchase a defibrillator along with providing the training for the park employees to use defibrillator,” said Lorie Schneider, who along with her husband, Rick, founded the Cpl. Kyle R. Schneider Foundation in memory of their son.

Kyle Schneider, a 2006 Baker High School graduate, joined the United States Marine Corps in 2008 after leaving Onondaga Community College. He wanted to give back to his community and his country. “It’s my turn,” he told his parents.

“[Kyle] wanted to serve something higher than himself,” Lt. Col. John D. Harrill, Schneider’s battalion commander, told the Messenger last year. “I remember talking to him in the barracks. He left community college because he didn’t feel like he was doing enough for the country he loved.”

Cpl. Schneider was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. The 3rd Platoon was deployed to Afghanistan in January 2011 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. On June 30, 2011, 23-year-old Cpl. Kyle Schneider was killed in Helmand Province by an improvised explosive device.

“Kyle was a very talented, brave Marine. He was always giving, to the point where he gave his life for his country and his family and his community,” Lorie Schneider said. “We want to continue his legacy of giving.”

Lorie Schneider said every program the foundation runs is modeled after one of her son’s interests or passions.

“Every program we have is designed around Kyle’s legacy of giving or things we did together as a family,” she said.

Kyle Schneider was an animal lover, so the foundation helps provides veterans with service and therapy dogs. The foundation organizes fishing trips for soldiers through the NYS Bass Chapter Federation, as Kyle was an avid outdoorsman. The organization also provides care packages to service members both overseas and stateside.

“That means so much to them. We would send Kyle one or two boxes every week he was deployed,” Lorie Schneider said. When he came home, Kyle told his family that he shared every package’s contents with his fellow Marines.

“Every act of kindness is freedom extended,” she said.

Kyle Schneider spent much of his childhood at Van Buren Park. He began swimming lessons there as a toddler, and throughout his youth he enjoyed sledding, playing basketball, flying kites and running at the park.

“It’s a beautiful park. What we want to do is bring families to the park and see what the park has to offer,” Lorie Schneider said.

Now, that park plays host to the run/walk in honor of Kyle Schneider and his fellow veterans, both those who gave their lives in service of their countries and those who remain. The Honor and Remember Run/Walk will welcome Vietnam combat veteran Jack Webb to kick off the race.

“We will always have it on that Saturday on or just before Memorial Day,” Lorie Schneider said of the event. “It’s because of [our service members] that we are able to enjoy this beautiful park.”

Several community organizations will come together for the Honor and Remember Run/Walk. Baker High School’s vocal jazz ensemble, Company B, will open the event by singing the national anthem, American Legion Post 113 and VFW Post 153 will present the colors, and Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts will volunteer at the race.

“It’s definitely a walk/run that we want the community to get involved in. We hope that it will be forever,” Lorie Schneider said.

The Honor and Remember Run/Walk also will feature the “Honor a Hero” display. Each year, families can submit photographs and information about their loved ones who served their country, like Kyle Schneider did.

“We never want him forgotten,” Lorie Schneider said.

The Honor and Remember Run/Walk takes place Saturday, May 28, at Van Buren Park, 2689 Connors Road, Baldwinsville. The event kicks off at 8:30 a.m. with a free kids’ fun run. The 5K run/walk begins at 9 a.m. Pre-registration costs $20 ($15 for students), and race day registration is $25. The top male and female finishers will receive prizes, and registration includes a T-shirt and refreshments. To pre-register, visit friendsofvanburenpark.org.

To learn more about the Cpl. Kyle R. Schneider Foundation and its programs, visit cplkyleschneider.com.