The forest was alive with the sounds of wildlife, but everyone’s attention was glued to Craig Washka as he sat, teary-eyed, in his power chair the morning of Sept. 20. Several attendees pulled out their phones, snapping photos as if Washka was a celebrity. In their eyes, he is.
Dozens of Licking County residents braved the heat and humidity that morning to celebrate Washka as the Licking Park District, where Washka has been a volunteer for nearly a decade, named and dedicated a portion of the TJ Evans Trail to him.
Washka has been a “trail monitor volunteer” with the Licking Park District since 2018. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, or MS, in 2004, which ended his career as a professional pilot. MS, according to the MS Society, is a disease that impacts the central nervous system by disrupting the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body.
“That was devastating,” Washka said, speaking to the attendees at his dedication. “I thought my life was over but what I didn’t realize was that it had only just begun. Now, a brand new chapter is unfolding.”
Washka has been a supporter of MS care since his diagnosis. He participated in the 150-mile Bike MS: Pedal to the Point fundraiser event in Cleveland for many years, personally raising more than $250,000 for MS care.
“When they talk about the money I raised from Bike MS, that’s because of you, and I put all the training miles on this bike trail,” Washka said.
Washka used to train on a hand bike, a special bike for people with limited leg mobility. Through the use of a hand crank, hand bikes provide autonomous movement that can be provided through use of the arms. Washka’s mother got his hand bike for him when he was first diagnosed with MS.
“She’s 93-years-old and couldn’t be here today,” Washka said, his voice cracking. “But I want to recognize her, so I brought the bike with me.”
With a seat covered in worn-down padding and a faded orange and blue flag attached to the back, the old hand bike looks like it has been put to good use over the years.
Despite his physical disabilities, Washka used to go out on the bike trail, riding along on his power chair. With his blower, he cleared off leaves, twigs, acorns and other smaller debris off the path.
“It was my pleasure and my honor to take care of this bike trail,” Washka said. “Giving back to the community like that was one of my biggest purposes.”
Washka used to travel on the trail with his dog, Scout, who passed away a few years ago. He recalls a particular incident when he was riding along the trail on his bike when his crank broke down on his bike. Washka didn’t know how he was going to get home, but Scout, whose leash was tied to Washka’s bike, ended up pulling him three miles all the way back to his house off Newark-Granville Road.
“[Scout] was a good dog, always with me on the trail. She ran 9,000 bike miles with me and about 8,500 power chair miles,” Washka said.
Several people spoke at the event, including Kyle Lund, the director for the Licking County Park District; Executive Director Jennifer Roberts of the Thomas J. Evans Foundation; and Jonathan Demarest, a board member from the Licking County Park District Board of Park Commissioners.
They all had nothing but praise for Washka.
“If you meet Craig, you’ll know he’s such a genuine person. He’s an ambassador, not only for the Park District but also for the Village of Granville,” Lund said.
According to Lund, this was Granville’s first naming dedication since he’s been part of the park district team. He became the director three years ago.
“I think this event helped showcase the people and our volunteers, especially giving recognition to them along with Craig,” Lund said.
To close out the ceremony, Demarest said a few words in honor of Washka and presented him with an honorary plaque.
“Simply put, Craig is a great friend to many, a valued volunteer, and a role model to people of all ages,” Demarest said before officially dedicating the section of trail as “Craig Washka Way.”
A shiny new trail sign now stands at the intersection between the Thomas J. Evans Bike Trail and Granville’s Rotary Bridge.
“It’s just amazing, the impact of one person. I met him in 2012 out on this Bike Trail, and our dogs met and we became friends through them,” Tami McAdams, the Operations Administrator for the Licking Park District, said.
“I’m so happy he could be recognized today; he worked really hard for this,” said Lynda Gienke, Washka’s sister.
More than 100 people attended the ceremony with several people lining up afterwards to congratulate, show their appreciation and get their picture taken with Washka.
“I’m blown away by this whole event,” Washka said. “The recognition—I never expected it to be so much.”
Shaye Phillips writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.