The fundraising competition, hosted by Lumber Capital Athletics, was the brainchild of 20-year-old Taylor Chrisenberry, a junior at Lycoming College, double majoring in business administration and corporate communications.

It was September of last year when Stephen Yonkin, of the Williamsport Fire Bureau, spoke to Lycoming College professor Valerie Reynolds’ public relations class on the drastic need for funding of cancer screening for area firefighters, something not covered by insurance.

The cost of the screenings total roughly $1,300 per firefighter.

“I was intrigued by the cause,” Taylor Chrisenberry, a Pittsburgh native, said. “I personally have firemen in my family.”

Dushore firefighter Jordan Pedro does his first lift in a powerlifting competition fundraiser organized for the Williamsport Bureau of Fire at Lumber Capital Athletics. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“It really moved me, so I wanted to do something about it. They selflessly put their lives on the line for us as a community. It’s the least that we can do,” she said.

Chrisenberry founded the Lycoming College Powerlifting Club three semesters earlier and saw that club as a great fit for a fundraising mechanism.

“We haven’t been established for long, so this event was really good just for getting our name out,” said Chrisenberry, the club’s president.

Within weeks, Yonkin was contacted by longtime friend Reynolds with news of Chrisenberry’s interest.

“I was skeptical,” Yonkin admitted. “I thought maybe we’d talked about it for a couple weeks and it would just vanish, but then it just kept getting bigger and bigger.”

A large crowd is gathered to watch at Lumber Capital Athletics Saturday afternoon as weight lifters participate in a fundraising event for the Williamsport Bureau of Fire. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Chrisenberry took a hands-on approach with every aspect of the fundraiser, from helping to design all promotional materials, reaching out to Lumber Capital Athletics, to recruiting and organizing all the volunteers, in addition to recruiting Elizabeth Mondell, a certified referee at the USAPL, who’s experience was invaluable, according to Chrisenberry.

While initially worried that they may not attract enough competitors to make it profitable to shut the gym down for the event, her efforts surpassed expectations, with 51 total powerlifters taking part, 27 females and 24 males.

The event raised just over $2,100, bringing the total fund to just over $20,000. The ultimate goal is for the fund to reach $65,000.

“With cancer, you could be exposed to some nasty chemical or smoke, and it could just sit in your body and hang out there for years before it starts to grow. I believe that not only firefighters need to understand that, but the general public as well. It’s not just firefighters that should be getting screenings, every human on the planet should,” he said.

Yonkin, who’s brother is a firefighter in the Harrisburg area, has been instrumental in trying to shore up access to the tests for his fellow firefighters.

“I’ve talked to local hospitals looking for donations and other fundraising entities, and they just merely stopped speaking with me because I can’t give them the tax break,” he explained. “We’re looking for a 501 C3 to basically apply on our behalf so that these larger entities might be able to get a tax break.”

The occupational incidence of cancer is not well understood among the general public, but the numbers are staggering.

Across the United States and Canada last year, 72% of line-of-duty deaths were due to cancer, said Tracey Harer, union president for local 736, citing statistics from the International Association of Firefighters.

Ironically, Harer said most cancers experienced by firefighters are not related to smoke inhalation.

“As our gear breaks down over time, it gives chemicals that we’re absorbing through our bodies when we’re working and sweating. It’s causing a lot of cancers that you wouldn’t expect, like colorectal, prostate and liver. They’re actually the ones that a lot of our people are getting,” Harer said.

For a department of 35 or 36 members, the issue has been incredibly prevalent in the city fire department, Harer said.

“We lost a retiree last year to liver cancer, we’ve had upwards of eight members that have prostate cancer, we have one active guy right now that recently beat thyroid cancer (and) we have a five-year retiree who’s had two brain surgeries already from glioblastoma,” Harer listed.

Some light at the end of the tunnel may finally be visible, though, as a bill is circulating through the state House of Representatives that would require insurance companies to cover the preventative screenings.

But, with the need still there, Chrisenberry stands committed to helping with the cause, with tentative planning underway for next year’s fundraiser.

“That was my goal — if it went well this year, then we’re absolutely doing it next year. I’m already planning how I want to do it next year. That’s the No. 1 thing with event management is planning as far in advance as you can, planning for every possible situation,” she said.

Along with the benefit to the firefighters, Chrisenberry said this experience has served as a boon to her confidence.

“It emphasized how much I could really see myself doing this for a living, and made me confident that I can plan difficult events. I’m passionate about it, and really excited to see what I can do post-grad,” she said.

While Chrisenberry shouldered much of the weight, she stresses that it was a team effort to pull the event off so smoothly.

“I’m just incredibly grateful for all the people,” she said. “The Williamsport community came together. It’s not just me. It’s us. It’s a group collaborative effort. Everybody had their little piece of pie that they had to do, and that’s why the event was successful.”

And, if Yonkin’s words are any indication, that sentiment is most definitely reciprocated.

“I spoke to probably hundreds of people asking for help, and this girl who didn’t even know us was like, ‘I’ll do it.’ There needs to be more people like that,” he said.

“She has no credentials, no experience, no reason to do this, except that she listened to me talk,” he said. “She’s very shy and introverted, so for her to step that far out of her comfort zone to do that — my God, it’s amazing.”