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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Donning a green costume with matching gloves, Nanticoke resident Bill Tomolaitis was ready to Hulk out for a good cause.</p><p>Tomolaitis joined dozens of others on Public Square on Saturday morning for the second annual Superhero 5K walk and run supporting the Luzerne County Child Advocacy Center.</p><p>Executive Director Shannon Peduto explained what the organization does, as well as the special meaning for this year&#8217;s run.</p><p>The center plays an emergency-like role when cases of child abuse are reported, having the capacity to immediately take the child and interview them, collect evidence, provide medical exams, advocacy services and more.</p><p>Any information collected is then given to the proper authorities, such as law enforcement, Children &amp; Youth and more to be used during court proceedings.</p><p>&#8220;A lot of times we work with children who are abused every single day, and those kids are superheroes for what they have to go through and overcome,&#8221; she said of the event&#8217;s inception, also praising law enforcement and others who help children through the process.</p><p>In 2018 alone the organization provided services to over 550 children in Luzerne County, she said.</p><p>This year&#8217;s event also has a special meaning, as it was held in honor of the late Nanticoke Police Chief William Shultz, who passed away in 2016.</p><p>&#8220;He was an advocate of our center, he helped to get it started. So we&#8217;re doing it in honor of him,&#8221; Peduto added.</p><p>Working at 911, Tomolaitis said he was happy to come support the organization and what it stands for, as well as Shultz.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a good cause. Just to come out and give back to the community a little bit,&#8221; Tomolaitis said as he proudly showed off his costume.</p><p>With family and friends alongside him, Bill Shultz spoke of his father&#8217;s love and desire to help children suffering from abuse, and his hopes to continue that mission.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s for kids who really don&#8217;t have a voice and we&#8217;re trying to make them be heard,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We want to get more and more people every year. That way these kids who get abused either physically or sexually or anything like that, they have a place to go, and that&#8217;s what means the most to us.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">DJ Donnie Evans sets up the &#8220;Selfie Station&#8221; to take a photo of Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Jamie Sheridan with Mason, 3 and London Shultz, 9 of Plymouth before Saturday&#8217;s Superhero 5K walk and run. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_ttl092219superherorun-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>DJ Donnie Evans sets up the &#8220;Selfie Station&#8221; to take a photo of Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Jamie Sheridan with Mason, 3 and London Shultz, 9 of Plymouth before Saturday&#8217;s Superhero 5K walk and run. </caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_ttl092219superherorun-7.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bob Muscovitch of Jim Thorpe, is seen during the Superhero 5K run. He was the first male to finish, with a time of 21:10. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_ttl092219superherorun-7.jpg</photo1><caption1>Bob Muscovitch of Jim Thorpe, is seen during the Superhero 5K run. He was the first male to finish, with a time of 21:10. </caption1><photoCredit1>Amanda Hrycyna | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_ttl092219superherorun-8.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jill Sosnoski of Wilkes-Barre, seen on Public Square, finished the Super Hero 5K run with a time of 21:29, the first female finisher. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_ttl092219superherorun-8.jpg</photo2><caption2>Jill Sosnoski of Wilkes-Barre, seen on Public Square, finished the Super Hero 5K run with a time of 21:29, the first female finisher. </caption2><photoCredit2>Amanda Hrycyna | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_hulk_web.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Hulk, aka Bill Tomolaitis of Nanticoke, poses with RailRiders mascot Champ Saturday morning before partaking in the second annual Superhero 5K walk and run supporting the Luzerne County Child Advocacy Center. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_hulk_web.jpg</photo3><caption3>The Hulk, aka Bill Tomolaitis of Nanticoke, poses with RailRiders mascot Champ Saturday morning before partaking in the second annual Superhero 5K walk and run supporting the Luzerne County Child Advocacy Center. </caption3><photoCredit3>Amanda Hrycyna | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>5K pairs costumes, exercise to aid kids group, honor late Nanticoke chief</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marcella Kester</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Superhero 5K pairs costumes, exercise to aid kids group, honor late Nanticoke chief