Matthews WalkAThon Raises Over $150,000 For Local Causes

Saturday, October 4th (2025) was a beautiful day. For the first weekend of the month, it was sunny and warm as if summer was still with us.

Another reason it was a beautiful day is that many people came out to represent their community for the annual Matthews Walk-A-Thon. The event took place in several communities - Vestal, Norwich, Syracuse, Rochester, Schenectady, and Scranton.

Matthews Auto donated $10 per mile for every mile walked by registered participants and matched cash donations up to $12,500, plus provided corporate sponsor support. 100% of the proceeds will be donated.

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Matthews Auto reported that a total of $153,561 was raised, beating the goal by $3,561.

I spent some time at the Norwich walk, held at Weiler Park, chatting with the walkers, organizers, and vendors throughout the day. According to Matthews Auto, walkers in the Norwich area raised $14,679 for the Chenango County Child Advocacy Center in Norwich.

Money Raised For Each Participating Community

• Vestal: Mom’s House ($9,531), A Room to Heal ($10,813), Handicapped Children’s Association ($9,660), Guthrie Hospice Vestal’s Camp Hope for Kids ($19,568), GiGi’s Playhouse ($28,485), Children’s Home of Wyoming Conference ($3,800)
• Syracuse:  Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital Syracuse ($9,324), Joseph’s House Syracuse ($9,701), ED23 Syracuse ($4,336)
• Rochester: Child Advocacy Center of Greater Rochester ($11,226)
• Schenectady: Things of my Very Own in Schenectady ($18,837)
• Scranton: St. Joseph’s Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania ($3,596)

In total, 2657 walkers registered, pledging to walk over 7500 miles. $15,850 was raised in cash donations, according to Matthews Auto. The next Matthews Walkathon is tentatively scheduled for October 3rd, 2026.