52 children run through fitness challenge
Published 12:01 am Saturday, January 2, 2016
LUTCHER — St. James Parish Hospital recently awarded 52 local children ribbons for completing the third annual “Run St. James Challenge,” which is a wellness initiative recognizing children for competing in several parish races.
Chad Weidert and his wife Susan once again led this year’s challenge in an effort to get kids moving. The Run St. James Challenge encourages kids ages 14 and under to participate in at least three parish races, including the St. Michael’s Fall Festival Run, 4-H Fun Run, Pumpkin Patch Run and Bonfire Festival Run.
As a sponsor of the initiative, St. James Parish Hospital had one-of-a-kind medals designed to represent each race with a ribbon displaying the year of the award.
The medals were presented after this year’s Bonfire Festival Run and each year have been displayed on a bright, new color ribbon.
St. James Hospital challenges local youth to “Chase the Rainbow” since participants meeting the challenge for several years will have a colorful keepsake to commemorate their commitment to health and wellness.
Chad Weidert, one of initiative’s organizers, commented, “Very few sports besides running have an end point, where the child comes to the finish line and has a crowd of people cheering them on. The sense of satisfaction, excitement and accomplishment shown on their faces is unequal to any sport I’ve witnessed.
“Regardless of where they place in the run, for them to come out and participate and accept the challenge shows their desire. The children were already winners before they started running through their participation in practices and learning of healthy lifestyles. Thanks to the parents who allowed their children to participate and special thanks to St. James Parish Hospital for sponsoring the medals.
“We could not be more excited for the children who earned such distinct recognition despite weather-related circumstances that caused one of the qualifying races to be cancelled and rescheduled. We are also grateful to all of the parents that encourage a healthy lifestyle for their children and for supporting local races that ultimately support the entire community. In just three short years, the number of children qualifying increased over 60 percent and we are excited to see this number grow.”
Hospital Director of Marketing Kassie Roussel said: “We once again want to thank Chad and Susan for inviting us to collaborate and for their invaluable time mentoring and supporting parish youth through a free running club they volunteer to lead.