2005

The crowd at the Matthew Allen Potter Memorial Golf Tournament’s dinner party in September gave a rousing round of applause to the family with the little girl suffering from Alfi’s Syndrome.

It seemed Allie Yahnke, 10, of Red Lion, had been doing some fundraising of her own for Leg Up Farm, the all-inclusive therapy project for children with disabilities, which the annual golf tournament benefits.

Zippy’s Crusade for Kids recently gave Leg Up Farm $5,500 in honor of Allie, an emcee told the crowd at the Country Club of York.

The crusade, established by Greg Zipadelli, crew chief for NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, raises money for children’s charities.

Last year, Allie’s grandmother, Mary Yahnke, wrote to Zipadelli and told him about her granddaughter who has Alfi’s, also known as 9P-, which causes physical and mental delays, and also about the Leg Up Farm project.

The response was an invitation to the Yahnkes to attend Zippy’s fundraising snowmobile race in Inlet, N,Y., where Mary Yahnke lives.

Allie’s mother, Penny Yahnke, said she was pleased at the donation.

”I was very excited – hopefully, that’s going to be one step further for them to get it up and running,” Penny Yahnke said of Leg Up Farm.

Since 1997, Lou Castriota, Jr., a general sales manager at a Baltimore television station, has been raising money to build the 110,000-square-foot facility in East Manchester Township.

And for the last seven years, he’s been lobbying Gov. Ed Rendell to release $4.56 million in capital redevelopment assistance funds for Leg Up Farm, about half of what Castriota needs to complete the project.

Castriota developed the idea for Leg Up Farm when he began seeking various therapies for his daughter Brooke, and soon realized it would be easier for both the patient and their parents if an entire range of therapies were available under one roof.

Brooke, now 9, suffers from mitochondrial disease, a disease similar to cerebral palsy. She and Allie have been in the same special needs classes for many years, Castriota said.

Penny Yahnke said her family has also experienced piecemeal therapy sessions that motivated Castriota.

She said another benefit of an all-inclusive therapy center is that the therapists will be able to communicate with each other on their mutual patients far easier now that they will be working at the same facility.

”You may be able to do two therapies back-to-back,” she said.

Castriota said he appreciated the Yahnke’s support over the years and their creativity in bringing about the donation from Zippy’s Crusade for Kids.

”They really, as a family, just see the value that Leg Up Farm can add to their lives,” he said.

By TED CZECH, The York Daily Record/Sunday News

Ken Potter, Sr. keeps a photo of his grandson Matthew in his wallet – he’s got a Martin’s hat, Martin’s shirt and is holding a bag of popcorn.

“I always have him with me, whenever I want to smile a little,” said Potter, the former president and CEO of Martin’s Potato Chips.

On Sept. 10, 2001, 7-year-old Matthew Allen Potter was fatally injured on a ride at the York Fair.

Family friend Jack Lehr, who lives next to Matthew’s parents in York Township, wanted to preserve the memory of Matthew, and had always wanted to organize and promote a charity event.

In May 2002, he introduced Matthew’s parents, Janet and Kenneth “Butch” Potter, Jr. to his friend Lou Castriota, Jr. Since 1997, Castriota had been planning Leg Up Farm, a physical and occupational therapy complex for children with disabilities in East Manchester Township.

Castriota began the project after realizing how difficult it was to bring his daughter, Brooke, now 8, to various therapies. After talking with therapists and parents, he decided to bring nearly all of the various therapies under one roof.

He had been lobbying the state for capital redevelopment assistance funds, and had begun fundraising for the project, but still needed help.

What if there was a golf tournament in Matthew’s honor that benefited Leg Up Farm, Lehr proposed.

“They liked the idea of Leg Up Farm and how it is going to help children with special needs, so we can turn our tragedy into something positive,” Lehr said of the Potters.

And so the Matthew Allen Potter Memorial Golf Tournament began.

Now in its fourth year, the tournament’s net proceeds for the past three years exceed $100,000, said Castriota.

At the Sept. 19 tournament, four-person teams will compete at the Country Club of York at a noontime shotgun start. The event also includes a cocktail hour, dinner, awards and a silent auction.

Potter said the tournament is not a somber event – it’s a celebration.

“It keeps the memory of my grandson alive and it’s for a great cause,” he said. “It’s a special event and he was a special child.”

Lehr agreed, saying, “You’re feeling sad, but you’re also rejoicing because you’re celebrating Matthew’s life and you know something good is coming out of it . . . This is a great way to honor his life.”

Castriota said the nearly-eight-year quest to build Leg Up Farm is a “true test of perseverance . . . The reality that I’m faced with every day is we need to make this happen, because we can touch the lives of 5,000 families in the area we live in.”

About Leg Up Farm, Potter said, “We’ll get it done, we’re all hammering away.”

About Leg Up Farm

Lou Castriota, Jr. said he’s hoping Gov. Ed Rendell will approve $4.56 million in capital redevelopment assistance funds, which is about half of what Castriota needs to build Leg Up Farm.

He hopes it happens soon.

“We are truly getting to a point at the end of this year, that there’s not much more we can do until the money is released,” he said.

In March 2001, Barbara Warren donated 18.5 acres of her property in the 4200 block of North Sherman Street Extended, East Manchester Township, to Leg Up Farm.

In addition, Castriota says the land development plan is nearly finalized and they’ve had meetings with PennDOT on the facility’s entrance.

At the 110,000-square-foot facility, traditional therapies such as occupational and physical therapy will be offered, as well as less traditional therapies such as horseback riding.

By TED CZECH, The York Daily Record/Sunday News

He was always first -- in line, in competition, at school.

Matthew Potter's mom, Janet, likes to believe her son went first to heaven so he could open the gates for thousands killed Sept. 11, 2001.

Her 7-year-old boy died the day before on a ride at the York Fair. Nearly four years later, Janet and her husband, Butch Potter, are able to talk publicly about the day that changed their lives, and a benefit in Matthew's honor aimed at helping others.

From a loveseat inside their York Township home, the couple detailed events of that afternoon. Matthew sat in his second-grade class at Leaders Heights Elementary School gazing at a gray sky.

Forecasters had called for rain, and he worried that he and his younger brother and sister, Ryan and Natalie, wouldn't make the fair.

The kids had grown and entered pumpkins in a contest.

But rain didn't fall. So they stuck to the plan: Pumpkins, food and leave.

"It was such a simple day," Janet said, touching a gold charm dangling from a thin chain around her neck. "We went straight to the pumpkins. They all got honorable mention."

Quick stop at one ride: They stopped at the petting zoo, and then at the "Flitzer", a Reithoffer Shows, Inc. roller coaster that is about 30 feet tall at its peak.

"There was this ride. It was on the way to the food vendors," Janet said.

"There was no one in line. We let the kids go, thinking it would be a quick stop before we got something to eat," Butch added.

Janet stood with a friend, Jack Lehr, on one side of the ride. Butch waited near the exit for the kids who'd piled into one of the cars. Several minutes later, the ride's operator yelled to the kids.

"He was screaming, 'Hold on, hold on'," Janet said. "It seemed like the car was going faster and faster. Then it just stopped."

The operator continued screaming as Janet, Jack and Butch ran toward the children. Butch yanked on the car, attempting to move it and the children out of the way of another car.

"I was afraid they would get bumped from behind," he said.

Janet and Jack plucked Ryan and Natalie from the ride.

"Matthew just collapsed backward on the seat," Janet said. "Right at that point I knew he was critically injured."

The ride's operator was still screaming. Janet yelled for him to be quiet, and for help. Butch scooped Matthew into his arms and ran toward the first aid tent. Jack and Janet were close behind with Ryan and Natalie.

Mother rode in the ambulance: Janet, an emergency-department-trained registered nurse, rode in an ambulance with Matthew to a hospital; Butch stayed behind with the kids. The family reunited at York Hospital, where Matthew died shortly afterward from internal injuries.

"Our world changed," Janet said. "Every single thing in our lives changed."

York County prosecutors determined Matthew's death resulted from negligence, but determined that wasn't enough to file criminal charges against the ride's owners. Janet and Butch have filed suit against Reithoffer; the case is pending.

Friends and family rallied in support, eventually planting a garden behind the Potter's house that since has become a place to feel close to Matthew.

Jack launched a fund-raiser, now in its fourth year, in Matthew's name that would benefit Leg Up Farm, a proposed therapy center for special-need kids.

"I just believed this was a good way to remember and honor him," Jack said about the Matthew Allen Potter Memorial Golf Tournament. "We wanted to turn our loss into something beneficial to others."

Find meaning in death: The Potters relish memories of the time they had with their son, a blue-eyed boy who'd memorized every state capital in kindergarten.

Janet again touches the gold charm at her neck. It bears Matthew's thumbprint. It helps her through each day. The tears come less often, but they still come.

When she doesn't see Matthew first in line for the school bus. When he isn't beside her in the car giving her directions, preventing her from getting lost while she runs errands.

But the Potters have found meaning in his death, in part by celebrating his life.

Butch said he shined; that Matthew had a personality that drew people to him. Each year, as America revisits the national tragedy of Sept. 11, the Potters think of their oldest son, getting to heaven first, taking his place as a divine greeter.

"Matthew went first to open the gates," Janet said. "He was there for all those people."

By KATHY STEVENS, The York Dispatch

It's no more than a field, 18 acres of land just south of Mount Wolf.

But Lou Castriota has plans for that parcel. He has designed a facility that would benefit special needs kids, offering the physical, psychological and social help they need under one roof.

Plans for Leg Up Farm have been in the works for several years, but building the center is a matter of money -- about $10 million. The nonprofit so far has raised about $700,000 from its two-person office on North George Street.

And next month, the Matthew Allen Potter Memorial Golf Tournament holds its fourth annual event benefiting Leg Up. Matthew was 7 when he died Sept. 10, 2001, from injuries he sustained on a ride at the York Fair.

Although the tournament, organized by Jack Lehr, has brought more than $100,000 to Leg Up's coffers, more cash is needed before crews can break ground. Castriota has worked with state lawmakers for years in hope of landing a $4.56 million in capital redevelopment assistance funds, which are administered by the Office of the Budget to pay for regional economic, cultural, civic and historical improvement projects.

Tough competition: To get the cash, projects must demonstrate an ability to raise matching funds. Castriota has done that, but competition for the money is tough because of the number of requests for economic development enterprises such as baseball stadiums, and visitor and convention centers.

Castriota began the nonprofit in 1997 when he realized the difficulty in shuttling his daughter, Brooke, from their New Freedom home to numerous places for various therapies. Brooke, one of Castriota's four children, has mitochondrial disease, which is similar to cerebral palsy. Castriota surveyed parents and industry professionals, whose advice solidified his idea to house numerous therapies under one roof.

The 110,000 square-foot facility would offer physical, massage, speech and therapeutic horseback riding, among other things. It would serve residents of York County and surrounding areas.

"We need the state to release the capital funds," Castriota said. "It is the next key piece, the thing we really need to secure before we can break ground."

By KATHY STEVENS, The York Dispatch