“Nada es Imposible” were the words by which Dr. Ramon Rocha lived.

Miranda Snyder, who thrives in our community with support from The Arc of Livingston-Wyoming, prefers the English translation of "Nothing Is Impossible."

Linguistics aside, the late SUNY Geneseo professor who has inspired countless lives and the young lady from "Karrie's Castle," a group home operated by The Arc in nearby Dansville, are forever bonded by their philosophy and drive.

You could say that Miranda walks in Dr. Rocha's footsteps – and she'll do exactly that at the 2008 Ramon Rocha 5K Run/Walk, Saturday, October 25th in the Village of Geneseo. All proceeds from the event will benefit neighbors with intellectual and developmental disabilities through The Livingston-Wyoming Arc Foundation.

The Ramon Rocha 5K Run/Walk is a morning-long event for all abilities and ages, with options that range from a competitive 5K (3.1 mi.) road race to non-competitive 5K and 1K walks. Registration is $20 for the 5K run or walk, $12 for the 1K walk, or free for participants who raise $75 in sponsorships.

"I look forward to the Run/Walk as a healthy and fun day, and as a way to support The Arc," says Miranda, 28, who lives with five other young ladies at “Karrie’s Castle." Miranda also works five days a week at Hilltop Industries, The Arc's vocational program.

When The Arc revived the Ramon Rocha memorial Run/Walk in 2007, Miranda embraced it as her opportunity to “give back.” She asked friends, neighbors – anyone who would listen – to sponsor her participation in the event.

On race day, Miranda walked alongside dozens of participants with and without disabilities. Her goal wasn’t to be the fastest, it was to “go the distance” for her sponsors, agency, and self. And she succeeded.

Miranda contributed $228 to the agency on that day, the most money of any participant in a field of almost 200. "It felt good to show the world that we can all make a difference," she says.

It's that spirit and can-do attitude that connects Miranda with Dr. Rocha, who was a driving force for several noteworthy causes.

Dr. Rocha (1937-1996) took the lead in establishing Teresa House, a comfort care home in Geneseo for those who have a terminal illness. He served on the Board of Directors for The Arc of Livingston-Wyoming. He was president of Geneseo Kiwanis, and worked diligently on many fundraising endeavors, including the annual antique sale and the air show. Dr. Rocha also founded the SUNY Geneseo Ella Cline Shear School of Education’s Xerox Center for Multicultural Teacher Education with financial aid and in-kind support of Xerox Foundation and SUNY Geneseo. At home, he was a loving husband to wife, Doris, and dad to three children, Andrea, Pete, and Carlos.

Today, Miranda is among dozens of women and men with developmental disabilities preparing to walk in Dr. Rocha's footsteps at the 2008 Ramon Rocha 5K Run/Walk.

Their 5K route starts at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, October 25, at the North end of Main Street in Geneseo, not far from St. Mary’s Church. Runners will continue along Main Street, Chestnut Street, Second Street, North Street, Highland Road, Center Street, and Stuyvesant Manor. The separate 1K walking route is along Village sidewalks. The event includes money prizes in men’s, women’s, and masters’ categories, microchip timing, live music by FunkNut, a Barilla pasta/meatball lunch by Chef Don Antinore, t-shirts and door prizes for all participants.

The Ramon Rocha 5K Run/Walk is organized by The Arc of Livingston-Wyoming and Geneseo Kiwanis. A growing list of sponsors includes Apple Hill Farms, Applebee's Neighborhood Bar & Grill, Barilla America, Inc. , Big Oak Driving Range, Body & Face by Kristin, Chef Don Antinore (Valley Oak Event Center), Country Inn & Suites of Mt. Morris, Ella Cline Shear School of Education (SUNY Geneseo), Family Dental Care, Family Eyecare, Five Star Bank of Geneseo, Genesee Valley Florist, Genesee Valley Health Partnership, Gibney Monument Works, Inc., H&H Associates, Healthy Heart Program (Noyes Memorial Hospital), Maines Foods, James D. Lapiana, Esq., KeyBank, McDonald's of Geneseo, Modern Home, Photography by Beth, Quality Inn of Geneseo, Rector-Hicks Funeral Home, Southpaw Signz, Inc., Sundance Books, The Rocha Family, Tony Gallicchio & FunkNut, Tony's Pizzeria, Village of Geneseo Police Department, Wegmans of Geneseo, Xerox Center for Multicultural Education (SUNY Geneseo), and Ziebart Rhino Linings.

To join or sponsor Miranda and friends for the Ramon Rocha 5K Run Walk, or for more information on the event, contact Jeff Thomas, Public Relations Director for The Arc of Livingston-Wyoming, at (585) 658-2828 ext. 128 or jthomas@lwarc.org.