Racing For A Cause
by Dino Oberto, Press Enterprise Staff
January, 2003

When Gene Ostrowski was a crew member for former Mountain Speedway Street Stock champion Kirk Buchanan of Wapwallpen ten years ago, he always had the itch to get behind the wheel himself. 

The 28-year old Berwick native, who works for Crispin Valve, is now getting that chance. Eager to get the 2003 racing season rolling he will be embarking on his first ever try at what he calls real racing aside from some go-karting he did at Greenwood Valley Action track. 

His choice of car will be modest as he will be competing in the very economically based 4-Cylinder Enduro class at Mountain Speedway in St. Johns.

But no sooner did Ostrowski start tweaking his 1980 Ford Mustang, his thoughts turned to his 12-year old niece Camillia Stiller of Mountaintop who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis.

Ostrowski, along with his wife, Jeralyn and their six year old son Tyler, felt that they can still enjoy what they will be doing and at the same time be able to help Camillia and all those afflicted by the disease. What they plan is to have people make donations and in turn they will put there names on the race car. Every penny collected will be sent to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation whose main office for this region is based in the Lehigh Valley.

After we got the race car and we where working on it one night and I thought here I am worrying about a race car and at the time she (Camillia) was in the hospital. Shes only 12-years old and cant even go out and play. Its helping her but its also helping the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation overall, said Ostrowski.

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease affecting approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States.  It causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky mucus, due to the faulty transport of sodium and chloride (salt) within cells lining organs such as the lungs and pancreas, to their outer surfaces. The thick CF mucus also obstructs the pancreas, preventing enzymes from reaching the intestines to help break down and digest food.

There are a variety of symptoms. The most common are: very salty-tasting skin; persistent coughing, wheezing or pneumonia; excessive appetite but poor weight gain; and bulky stools. Specialized treatments are available to address these problems at CF Foundation-supported care centers the country.

Basically I told them (CFF) what I wanted to do and they sent me a letter saying they are behind me. Theyre really for this. 

Right now the track only has three races booked for my class and well be there for all of them. Ive talked to track manager Billy Bartley and hes working with us to have a donation box set-up every week. Well also have the car on display a few times behind the grandstands for the fans the see, said Ostrowski.

2002 Modified track champion Brian Defebo is also lending his support. Defebo wants Ostrowski to put the car on display in front of his business, Defebo Graphics which is on Route 11. He said just pick a date towards the end of February or early March and park the car out-front. Well advertise it a little bit and have people stop by. Thats neat because theres a lot of traffic that way, Ostrowski said.

Jerry Padden of local radio station WKRZ is also taking part and will be helping with promotional spots to help generate interest for the worth while cause.

Ostrowski doesn't mind what amount people will donate, but is setting a humble minimum at just a dollar. 

We want to set the minimum donation at a dollar. We really hope to get some local businesses on the car as well. I think that could make a big difference, Ostrowski stated.

Camillia is a fan of NASCAR racing but Ostrowski said she is getting excited about watching him race especially since it is so close to home. He also getting hyped over getting the opportunity to race.

Im excited. Ever since I was on Kirk Buchanans team over ten years ago, it was something I always wanted to do. Being in high school at the time and not really having the money to do it. The whole family is excited too. They all think Im a little nuts, but were looking forward to it, he said.

His first race will be May 18 and then on August 17 and October 12. There is a chance he may head to Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton a few times where the small-car enduros race on a more regular basis.

Great Stride Walk