On Saturday, September 17th, 2011, the hospital staff along with a host of wonderful volunteers organized a successful walkathon and barbecue for patients, families and friends of the hospital. The day was brisk, the sun was shining and everyone was excited to be a part of this annual event which raised over $24,000 to support the much loved Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The first registrants of the day were quoted as saying, “Even though it’s cold out, we wouldn’t miss this walk. This is our way of giving back to Shriners Hospital for everything they have done for our son.” Over 500 participants with wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, canes, bicycles, wagons and strollers gathered on the front lawn of the hospital before the walk.
Entertaining the crowd before the 10:00 a.m. step-off was Tweety Bird from Six Flags New England, Trevor the Gamesman (stilt walker), Shrine Clowns, Magician-Scotty Swan, a Melha Hadji member and his camel and DJ Marty Fullwood. At 9:45 a.m. hospital administrator, Mark Niederpruem welcomed the crowd and introduced Shriners Hospital patient/walkathon ambassador Andrew Haraghey and his mom, Sheryl. Andrew delivered a heartfelt speech about his Shriners Hospital experience and how the care he received enables him to be an active participant in a variety of athletic activities. After a thunderous applause, DJ Marty counted down from ten to start the walk with the assistance of Shake and Bake of the Melha Shriners Clown Unit.
Stilt walker, Trevor the Gamesmen led the crowd on a 3-mile walk to Van Horn Park and back to the hospital for a barbecue and festivities. Along the route, six local Shriners were stationed at road intersections for the safety of all walkers and took the opportunity to thank participants for supporting the hospital. Returning walkers were greeted by staff as they entered the hospital’s grounds where a variety of activities awaited them – on hand were animals waiting to be petted from the Forest Park Travelling Petting Zoo, face painting by Helma Court #64 – Ladies of the Oriental Shrine of North America, Hoops Shots provided by the Springfield Armor Basketball Team, the local Subway store handing out coupons for free 6″ sandwiches and a beading and spin art tent organized by the Child Life department.
K-9’s for Kids – Pet Therapy dogs eagerly greeted everyone with a wagging tail and soft furry head to pet. Staff, volunteers and walkers posed for pictures with collies, a basset hound, and a Portuguese water dog to name a few. The DJ provided lively music for many groups of students to line up and show off their dance moves! The music suddenly changed to a dark eerie tone, as Batman made a grand entrance to the delight of the crowd. Kids flocked to the super hero’s side for a chance to get their picture taken with him.
Community drumming with “The Beat Brigade” from the Boston area, which was a highlight of the day’s events was made possible through a grant from MassMutual. Chairs were positioned in two concentric circles and the sounds of rhythmic drumming from “The Beat Brigade” drew onlookers closer for a chance to grab a seat to participate. While the drummers banged on their instruments for almost an hour, children played on the handicap-accessible play scape and a friendly volleyball game occupied teenagers and clowns.
Not to be overlooked was the delicious barbecue provided by the kitchen staff who along with the hospital’s Chief of Staff, Dr. David Drvaric cooked over 700 hotdogs and 600 hamburgers. Everyone ate heartily and later enjoyed a cake made by the students from Putnam Vocational High School and ice cream donated by Garelick Farms.
The food was delicious, the entertainment outstanding, the activities fun-filled and the mood heartwarming. Many thanks to hosptial staff, volunteers and all the talented performers and businesses from the community who donated their time, products and services to make this annual event such an overwhelming success. A special thank you also goes to the many Shriners who showed their support by attending the Shriners Hospital – Springfield, Mass walkathon and sharing their contagious fun and fellowship.
