When they say “typical Schuylkill County” they’re usually talking about something negative but what happened yesterday in Minersville was about as “typical Schuylkill County” as you can get.
On Friday at the Minersville Fire and Rescue building, the Seltzer Little Brown Jug Invitational golf tournament committee presented 9-year-old Laykin Ryan and her parents with a $6,000 donation to help offset costs associated with the Pottsville fourth grader’s continuing recovery from a tragic vehicle crash in February.
It’s been about six months since the tragic day of February 9 when Laykin was a passenger in a vehicle with her cousin and their grandmother, Elizabeth Ryan, of Pottsville, who passed away in the crash.
Since then, Laykin, who is currently confined to a wheelchair, has been undergoing some rather intensive rehabilitation.
After the crash, Laykin spent more than three weeks at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville before being transferred to inpatient rehabilitation at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. She was at Hershey for three months.
The Ryan family – Laykin and her parents, John and Ashley – now makes weekly and twice-weekly commutes from Pottsville to the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. This coming week, they’ll be staying the entire week in Philadelphia as Laykin undergoes some intensive rehabilitation therapy.
But plans are for Laykin to return to school for the upcoming term when it starts later this month. She’ll be entering the fourth grade at John S. Clarke Elementary in Pottsville.
As for the donation received from the Minersville-based golf tournament committee on Friday, John said, “It means the world. We’re grateful for the community and everybody that’s helped us out and continues to help us and support us. It’s more than we ever expected and more than we’d ask of anybody.”
Little Brown Jug Invitational
Laykin was chosen as the recipient of the proceeds donated to the Little Brown Jug golf tournament this year after it was suggested to the event’s Charity Committee Chairman, Jason Rhoads. Rhoads said he knows some of Ashley Ryan’s cousins and thought it would be a good cause to which to donate.
He said Friday that he lives within a quarter-mile of the location of the crash that happened on Route 901 back in February.
In the last couple years, the tournament – the longest running golf tournament in Schuylkill County – the committee has been more dedicated to charitable donations like the one it made to Laykin and her family on Friday.
Numerous businesses and individuals were contacted to make donations and become sponsors of the event:
- Lazarchick’s Cafe
- Llewellyn Hose
- Marian and Gary Rhoads
- Marvelous Mouse Travels
- MATRIX Behavioral Solutions
- Michaels Ear Center
- Miners Auto Parts
- Minersville Lions Club
- Minersville Little League
- Minersville Soccer Association
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Quandel’s
- Reliable Home Supply
- Revive Chiropractic
- 5 Star Mechanical
- Angry Pear Catering and Food Truck
- B&H Landscaping
- Blu Tavern
- Douglas J. Taglieri
- Entech Engineering
- Famous Reading
- Foran’s Transmissions
- Harriet and Craig Zurat
- Hospice of Central PA
- Jack Rhoads
- Keystoker
- Landis Construction
- Rowlands CPA
- Russ Coover Metal Roofs
- Schaeffer’s Harley Davidson
- Schuylkill County Veterans Club
- Stesha Witney Photography
- Team Recycle
- Tony’s Meat Market
- Trail Towing
- Washington Hotel
- Williamson Friedberg & Jones
- Yocko’s
In the next year, the tournament committee plans to register as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization so it can accept donations from larger institutions and help grow that part of the event.
Subscribe to Coal Region Canary
Get email updates from Coal Region Canary by becoming a subscriber today. Just enter your email address below to get started!Support Coal Region Canary
Like our reporting and want to support truly local news in Schuylkill County? Your small donations help. For as little as $5, your contribution will allow us to cover more news that directly affects you. Consider donating today by hitting the big yellow button below ...