The Mountaineer Maniacs will host its second 5K run/walk to benefit West Virginia University student Ryan Diviney and his family on Saturday (April 27) at 10:30 a.m. at the Student Recreation Center.

The Maniacs are encouraging students to come out for the 5K, and hope to see an increase in participation. This year, they have set a goal of 250 runners and $3,500. The Maniacs are eager to help a student in need while raising awareness for violence throughout WVU’s campus.

Ryan Diviney, a 22-year-old Ashburn, Va. native, was brutally beaten outside the Willey Street Dairy Mart in 2009. Diviney has remained in a coma-like state since the attack and is unable to function on his own.

Since the attack, Diviney’s father, Ken, has quit his job to take care of his son. Ken and Sue, Ryan’s mother, are devoted to giving their son the best care possible in hopes that he will awake from his coma-like state. This has become a hardship on the family since they solely rely on Sue’s income and donations. The mission of the 5K Race is to help alleviate some of the financial restrictions placed on the family.

Ryan was recently accepted into a state-of-the-art treatment program for brain injuries and is starting to make some progress in his recovery.

In addition to the race on Saturday, two Morgantown restaurants, Qdoba and Papa John’s, will be donating 20 percent of their sales to Ryan’s Rally.

Registration forms can be picked up on the door of the Maniacs office and can be mailed in or dropped off in the Student Organizations Services Office in the Mountainlair. Registration is also available online at this website.

All participants will receive a free shirt the day of the race and can also receive one to two hours of community service by logging on to Center for Civic Engagement’s iServe website.

All funds raised at the race will go directly to Diviney’s continued fight for life. For more information on Diviney and his rally, visit http://ryansrally.org/.

-WVU-

ta/04/24/13

CONTACT: Chris Northrup, Mountaineer Maniacs
540-327-7204, Chris.Northrup@mail.wvu.edu

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