Local 232 runs the distance
for Team WillPower
Hundreds of people will line up to run the Novo Nordisk
New Jersey Marathon on April 30, but only one runner will
take the 26.2-mile stride quite like Detective Anthony Espail-
lat of Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Local 232. Since
October, Espaillat has been training and fundraising for the
marathon, where he will run the distance while pushing
Will, a child with special needs, in a stroller to the finish line.
Espaillat was Will’s camp counselor before the two be-
came marathon partners as Team WillPower. The two met
at Camp Fatima’s summer camp, a special-needs program
where every child is paired with one staff volunteer. After
spending a week as Will’s mentor, Espaillat learned about
the effects of Angelman syndrome, a genetic disorder that
hinders the development of motor skills, including Will’s
ability to speak and walk on his own. Espaillat later decided
that he and Will could pair up to make a difference by going
the distance in a marathon and raising money and aware-
ness for Camp Fatima.
For the past 20 years, Espaillat and Local 232 Delegate
Thomas McKenna have dedicated a portion of their vaca-
tion time each year to volunteering at Camp Fatima along-
side other law enforcement officers from Kearny, Harrison,
Scotch Plains, Rockaway and the Hudson County Sheriff’s
Office.
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■ APRIL 2017
“It’s kind of just part of my life now,” said McKenna, who
has been a counselor for 17 kids since he started volunteer-
ing at the camp as a teenager. “There’s an indescribable feel-
ing about the camp and seeing the faces of the family when
they drop off the campers, knowing that they’re leaving their
kids in my care.”
McKenna and Espaillat grew up volunteering together at
Camp Fatima even before they became law enforcement of-
ficers. In 2011, Espaillat decided to combine his care for the
camp with his passion for running by registering for the New
Jersey Marathon with Camp Fatima camper Anton Frazile.
That year, Team Anton-y raised $32,000 along what turned
out to be one of the most rewarding journeys Espaillat had
ever embarked on.
This year, as Camp Fatima celebrates its 50th anniversa-
ry, Espaillat decided it was time to give another camper the
opportunity to overcome the limits of his disability by com-
pleting a marathon. Through fundraising events, a GoFund-
Me page and donations from the Camp Fatima website,
Team WillPower has already raised more than $15,000, and
upcoming tricky tray fundraising events and 50/50 raffles
are anticipated to continue raising that amount even after
Team WillPower reaches the finish line.
“For the camp’s 50th year, we want to prolong this fund-