Farrelly's Feet
Binghamton has one of the highest concentrations of childhood poverty in the Southern Tier. New York State Education Department data shows that 71% of Binghamton City School District students qualify for free lunch. That rate is far higher than most neighboring districts.
For many of these families, a properly fitting pair of sneakers is a real financial stretch. Going without one is also a safety issue. Pediatric foot health experts note that shoes that are too small, too worn or the wrong fit can leave growing feet without the support they need to run and play safely. Farrelly's Feet exists to close that gap.
We began with 50 pairs donated to MacArthur Elementary, Noah's own elementary school. Today we serve all seven BCSD elementary schools and have donated more than 2,000 pairs.
School social workers identify the children who could benefit, because they know their students and families best. They do it quietly, so no child is ever singled out for receiving new shoes.
We also deliver mid-year. Most shoe drives happen in August and September, when attention is easy to find. By winter and spring, growing feet need new shoes just as much, but the help has largely moved on. Farrelly's Feet is there for that second half of the year, when the need is just as real and far less noticed.
The Noah Farrelly Kindness Counts Scholarship
After Noah's accident, many different people reached out to tell us how he had made a difference in their lives. The acts they described weren't rare or heroic. They were small, everyday acts of caring and compassion that genuinely mattered.
Noah was a strong student and a talented athlete, and a scholarship honoring either would have been easy to create. But grades and athletic ability are already recognized everywhere. What stood out most about Noah was his empathy, and we believe it deserves the same recognition.
Binghamton City School District students, faculty and staff are invited to nominate someone and share how their nominee made a difference by showing humanity and goodwill toward others. A committee of friends dear to Noah's heart selects the winner. 21 scholarships awarded to date.
Call to action: For details, contact the Binghamton High School guidance office.
Runner Safety & Wearable ID Program
On December 4, 2018, Noah was training alone on the roads near campus when he was struck by a minivan traveling at full speed. He wasn't carrying identification, so he arrived at the hospital nameless. Authorities worked to identify him with only a shattered phone and a shredded t-shirt to go on. By the time we got the call, nine hours had passed, and Noah was 230 miles away. There are no words for the heartbreak of imagining our child fighting for his life without anyone able to comfort him by name.
We created this program so no other family would have to face what we did. Since 2019, we've provided free wearable ID and road safety education to young runners and distributed more than 1,000 wearable IDs. Since retiring the Run, we've focused on fully funding wearable IDs for BCSD athletes. This chapter is smaller, but it isn't going away. We're actively looking for new ways to serve this mission as the Fund grows.
Healthy Kids Running Series
We're proud to be the bib sponsor for the Healthy Kids Running Series in Binghamton, and we show up on race day to help keep things running smoothly. HKRS is a five-week program held each spring and fall at Otsiningo Park for kids in Pre-K through 8th grade. Races range from a 50-yard dash for the youngest runners to a full mile for the oldest. An adaptive Challenger Division lets kids of all abilities take part.
It's exactly the kind of place Noah would have loved. The smallest, wobbliest sprinters get cheered on right alongside the confident mile-runners, everyone gets a medal, and the community shows up week after week to watch kids have fun.