Corn Maze Raises Money For Hospitalized Children

(NUI) - When Phil Guarno's daughter Melissa was 3 years old, she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma - a form of cancer that attacks the sympathetic nervous system; - he was devastated. Six years later, Melissa is now happy, healthy and cancer-free.

While Guarno, the general manager of the Pennsylvania-based Harrisburg-Hershey Marriott hotel, never stopped believing that his daughter would go into remission, he also credits the hospital and doctors that saved his daughter's life.

It was then that Guarno decided to give back to his community by finding a charity for which he could volunteer his time and effort. He chose Children's Miracle Network - a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children by raising funds and awareness for children's hospitals across North America. Each year these nonprofit hospitals care for millions of children with diseases, injuries and birth defects.

Last year, Guarno organized "East Coasters for Kids" and broke the Guinness World Record for riding 74 rollercoasters on the East Coast in a 24-hour period. The event raised $50,000 for Children's Miracle Network.

This year, along with the help of national sponsors of Children's Miracle Network - Giant Food Stores, Hershey Foods and Marriott International - and numerous local sponsors, Guarno has created what he hopes is the largest corn maze in the United States.

The maze is designed in the shape of the Children's Miracle Network and the Marriott balloons. Located in Harrisburg, Pa., at the Harrisburg-Hershey Marriott, the maze is on 21 acres of land and has almost 8.5 miles of trails. All proceeds from the maze, which is open to the public through Oct. 31, will benefit Children's Miracle Network.

For More Information:

For additional information about the maze, call 1-866-267-6629 or visit www.pennstatecmn.com. To learn more about Children's Miracle Network, log on to www.cmn.org.

Article courtesy of www.newsusa.com.