In 2021, competitive runner and fitness trainer Rene Ryan started running the streets of Annville for a fundraiser dedicated to the memory of Max Schollenberger. The 12-year-old boy was found dead in his South White Oak Street home in May 2020 by police.
“This event started with just me running 37 miles by myself in a one-mile loop in the midst of COVID,” she said.
On Sunday, 86 registered runners and walkers came out to the Rotunda Brewery in Annville to participate in the third annual For the Love of Max Run/Walk. The event honors Schollenberger’s memory and is a fundraiser for the UPMC Child Advocacy Center of Central Pennsylvania.
“We need to really remember what happened so that we can prevent further instances like this, and we also want the community to know there are resources out there,” Ryan said. “It doesn’t need to result to such horrific matters.”
On May 26, 2020, Annville Township Police and members of the Lebanon County Detective Bureau found Max’s 12-year-old body in his second-floor room. The cause of death was prolonged starvation, malnutrition and blunt force trauma to the head, according to officials.