A family connection to a child battling a life-threatening illness inspired Cuyahoga Heights High School (CHHS) freshman Abram (Bram) Podoll to participate in “The 24 in 24”, an annual competition to raise funds to grant wishes to these children and their families.
“I decided to give it a shot this year to be able to give kids the opportunities that our family has had,” said Podoll, referring to his sister, Maryn, a sixth grader at Cuyahoga Heights Middle School. “In 2022, my family went to Disney, Universal, and Sea World in Florida, courtesy of A Special Wish (a local organization that raises funds to grant wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses), and I have always wished I could do more to make these children’s lives normal.”
“The 24 in 24” invites challengers to run one mile every hour on the hour, for 24 consecutive hours. This year, Podoll joined his father, Nathan, who has participated for the past seven years. Father and son ran over the October 11-12 weekend at the Spire Institute in Ashtabula, Ohio where Bram Podoll raised more than $3,200 for the foundation.
Established in 2015, “The 24 in 24” has raised more than $2.6 million for local children over its 10-year history. Since 2016, all proceeds have been donated to A Special Wish – Northeast Ohio Foundation, which has now partnered with “The 24 in 24” to host the annual event. A Special Wish works with Workshop of Wishes based in Brecksville, Ohio which grants about 50 wishes to children and their families each year.
The younger Podoll currently plays soccer and swims for CHHS, and plans to run track in the spring. He also wishes to participate in “The 24 in 24” next year and is working to convince some of his friends to join him.
