Runners race to support North Mississippi Medical Center N.I.C.U.
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI)- Some ran, some walked, but everyone supported the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Tupelo.
For the first time, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit hosted a 5k run to help raise money for the facility.
N.I.C.U. nurse manager Jessica Fears, and 5k run organizer Callie Craig said this was the best way to encourage people to support the facility.
” We have a we care room that helps supply snacks and meals for parents while they are staying with their babies,” said Fears. “Sometimes the community is great about giving us a lot of things to help supply that, but occasionally we have to buy things, and this will help us be able to purchase some of those things. If our families need car seats, or something like that, sometimes we can get money from the patient care fund to buy those things, just whatever our families may need, we can gather from that fund to get. ”
“We do a whole bunch of things with our unit and our babies and parents,” said Craig. “I was just looking for ways to be able to help us fund those things, so we are not constantly pulling out of our healthcare fund. This also keeps nurses from paying out of their pockets too.”
Craig said she has a passion for running, which is why she thought a 5k run was a great opportunity for helping the N.I.C.U.
“Growing up, we did a whole bunch of 5k’s,” said Craig. “My grandpa was the one who got me started in it, and I just thought let’s go ahead and do a 5k to help us raise a little bit of money.”
Participants Andy Bowen and Josh Speyer said the run allowed them to compete and socialize with others.
“I just really enjoyed spending time with the community and people. This was good exercise,” said Bowen. “I got to meet new people, and I had a great time.”
“It was a great cause, so primarily I wanted to come out and support the N.I.C.U. On top of that, it was just a lot of fun to be put here,” said Speyer. “We had some laughs, some prizes, and it was a good time.”
Each runner received a T-shirt after the race, and over 30 runners competed in the 5k.
