Dozens of runners and friends of Pascal showed up to Treasure Village Montessori School for the fourth annual Pascal’s Way 5k, a walk and run event honoring his life and achievements on May 11.
Pascal Weisberger, a local teen who passed away in 2020, is remembered for his kindness, intelligence and love for the community. This year’s run seeks to raise money for the Pascal’s Way scholarship and local school science programs.
Many participants were from Treasure Village’s Running Club, including Garrett Gomila, a student who finished first with a time of 23:07. As a member of Barry Wray’s Running Club, Gomila heard much about Pascal, a dedicated runner who’d also been coached by Wray.
“Pascal ran many local races over the years, improving his time every single race he was ever in,” Wray said. “For those who run a lot, that is an amazing feat. When Pascal crossed the finish line, everyone around felt his joy.”
Since the inaugural event in 2021, Pascal’s 5k has raised money for charities, scholarships and programs at the schools Pascal attended. This year, a primary fundraising focus is the Pascal’s Way Scholarship, which is awarded to passionate, curious students dedicated to the cause of community service.
“It being the year that Pascal (would have) turned 18 and would be graduating from high school, we saw this as being a time of particular relevance for honoring Pascal’s memory,” said Pascal’s father Ariel Poholek.
Pascal was known for giving back to the community, and completed thousands of community-service hours throughout his middle school years.
“I think Pascal, as a human being, as a person, had a personality with a core element of empathy, of love for people and animals,” Poholek said. “He didn’t distinguish between his desire to become a better individual and to work towards greater causes in the community. He inherently liked to be of help, in whatever form.”
Money is also being raised for local school science departments and for student STEM fair projects. Pascal was deeply concerned by issues facing the local environment — a concern reflected by his award-winning science projects throughout elementary and middle school.
“We’d like to encourage students to consider careers in science and conservation, and we hope that over the long term, providing support for science education will increase the number of students who see that as an area worth pursuing,” Poholek said.
To accomplish these goals, Pascal’s Way is partnering with the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys (CFFK), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting charitable and not-for-profit local causes through philanthropic giving. The foundation recently established the Pascal’s Way Fund, created to honor Pascal’s legacy by supporting charitable causes that had been close to his heart.
“It is the foundation’s focus on making our world better that aligns with who Pascal was and the future goals of the Pascal’s Way Fund,” said Elizabeth Brown, CFFK’s vice president of philanthropy. “The Pascal’s Way Fund will be used to provide scholarships to students with similar community service interests and provide grants to the causes that were so close to Pascal’s heart — promoting science and environmental education, caring for animals and serving our community. Having the Pascal’s Way Fund established as a fund with the Community Foundation allows donors everywhere to give in Pascal’s honor and to make a difference”
Pascal’s 5k will continue as a virtual event until Friday, May 31. Those interested may still sign up by visiting https://runsignup.com/Race/Events/FL/Islamorada/PascalsWay5K.
