Brigano started seven years ago, holding walks in three prisons, and this year he will be walking a mile in 15 different Ohio prisons.
ALLEN COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - A retired warden is traveling to the state to raise money for MS research, and Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution inmates are helping him one step at a time.
Besides making money through donations, the Allen Oakwood inmates are using their skills to make items like Afghans, clocks, and paintings to be auctioned off, and that money goes to fund MS research.
Tony Brigano has been retired for over 20 years after working 30 years at various places in the Ohio prison system. But when he wanted to raise money for the National MS Society in honor of his daughter Michelle, who has multiple sclerosis, he went back to the prisons to ask the inmates to join "Team Michelle."
"It might surprise a lot of people, but a lot of inmates would like to give back, and I asked them to consider to give back, and this time for MS research. And since I have been walking, the inmates have donated up to this year over $130,000 to MS research," says Tony Brigano, organizer of MS Walks.
Through the nine walks that Brigano has done this year, he has raised over $30,000, and with each donation and each step, he hopes they are closer to a cure for Michelle and others with MS.
Brigano started seven years ago, holding walks in three prisons, and this year he will be walking a mile in 15 different Ohio prisons. Besides making money through donations, the Allen Oakwood inmates are using their skills to make items like Afghans, clocks, and paintings to be auctioned off, and that money goes to fund MS research.
"Knowing what we do is impacting not only his daughter but everyone else that is affected by MS. Because someone has to stand up and say, 'Hey look, we care, we love you.' Even though we are prisoners, we still care about our community and what we can do for it," says John McDerment, an Allen Oakwood inmate.
McDerment says he joined Brigano because of the impact he has had on him since he was first incarcerated.
"The age of 15 when I came in, he inspired us. He inspired us as a warden. Say listen, the sky is the limit. You don't have to be the person you come in. You can actually change your life, and you can be a positive impact to your communities," adds McDerment. "30 years later, this is what it has become. It's an honor to help and serve your community in everything that we can do."
"It provides hope for them. Because they continually strive to do things and give back to the community. Not only is the MS walk important, we do community gardens here, where we are donating pounds of food—100 pounds of food to the community. It just gives them a sense of purpose," says Ryan Walters, acting warden at Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution.
Through the nine walks that Brigano has done this year, he has raised over $30,000, and with each donation and each step, he hopes they are closer to a cure for Michelle and others with MS.
"What we have done is just a little bit in a big pot. But I would like to think that every little bit helps," adds Brigano.
