COAL TOWNSHIP - The Big House Benefit Run marked its 12th anniversary Saturday.
Dozens of riders left State Correctional Institution-Coal Township at 10 a.m. for an 80-mile ride throughout central Pennsylvania. This year's ride was in memory of Sgt. Matthew Persing, a member of the prison staff who was killed in a vehicle accident earlier this year at Paxinos.
The event is organized by the Corrections Officers Assistance League (C.O.A.L.) which helps raise money to assist fellow corrections officers in need or their families. This year, a portion of the proceeds will go to Persing's mother.
A U.S. Army veteran of Operation Desert Storm, Persing was remembered by his co-workers as a "great guy" who was fair with both staff and inmates.