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Food World and Senior Bowl
Make Major Donations To
Baldwin County Charities
Donations are part of the $208,000 raised by the 18th annual Food World
Senior Bowl Charity Run and include major donations made to Thomas
Hospital in Fairhope and Mercy Medical in Daphne.
FAIRHOPE, Ala. (May 25, 2006) -- As part of their successful charitable
partnership, Food World and Senior Bowl officials presented two major
donations on Thursday to a pair of Baldwin County agencies -- Thomas
Hospital Foundation in Fairhope and Mercy Medical in Daphne.
The funds were raised by the 18th annual Food World Senior Bowl Charity
Run, held last November in downtown Mobile.
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Left to right: Senior
Bowl President Steve Hale, Thomas Hospital Foundation
Chairman Larry Thomas, Foundation Director Kathy Baugh,
Thomas Hospital Administrator Phil Cusa, Food World
District Manager David Powell and Food World Local Event
Coordinator Melissa Morgan pose with a check that
represents the $25,000 donation made to the hospital by
the Food World Senior Bowl Charity Run. Funds will be
used for a new childhood obesity awareness program in
Baldwin County.
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The donations also mark the fifth consecutive year that the annual event
has made a major donation to the Thomas Hospital Foundation, the
fund-raising arm of Thomas Hospital, as the hospital has now received
$140,000 from the Charity Run since 2002.
Funds donated to Thomas will be used for a new childhood obesity
awareness and prevention program in Baldwin County, while the monies
donated to Mercy Medical will be used for its Guardian Angel Program,
the fundraising program supporting the costs of the extensive pediatric
home care services provided by Mercy Medical.
“It gives us great satisfaction to be able to make major donations, in
conjunction with our charitable partner Food World, to two outstanding
Baldwin County agencies,” said Senior Bowl President Steve Hale. “Thomas
Hospital provides vital services and addresses such critical needs to
the people of Baldwin County, and we are very fortunate to have Mercy
Medical’s pediatric home care services available to children and
families in this area.”
The donations to Thomas Hospital and Mercy Medical were also part of a
total $208,000 raised by the Charity Run, which was distributed to 18
different charities along the Gulf Coast during several special
presentations held in Mobile, Baldwin County and Pensacola, Fla., on May
25 and 26. Since the race’s inception, over $3 million has been donated
to charity by the event.
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Left to right: Food
World's Melissa Morgan, Mercy Medical Development
Director Karen Kennedy, Food World District Manager
David Powell, Mercy Medical President and CEO Mary
Kay Polys and Senior Bowl Game Captain Clifton
Morrissette with a check representing the $10,000
donation made to Mercy Medical to help fund its
Guardian Angel pediatric home care program.
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The Food World Senior Bowl Charity Run’s mission is to raise funds for
charities whose services, activities or programs benefit youth and the
arts along the Gulf Coast.
“The Food World-Senior Bowl charitable partnership presents an
opportunity for our company to fulfill the responsibility of returning
something to our communities in a greater way than ever before,” said
David Powell, Food World District Manager. “Food World believes in the
importance of working for our communities. In that way, we return
something to our communities and say thank you to our customers. Through
today’s donations to Thomas Hospital and Mercy Medical on behalf of the
Charity Run, those common charitable goals are being reached.”
Since 1960, Thomas Hospital has served the healthcare needs of the
people of Baldwin County. Today, Thomas Hospital is the largest provider
of healthcare in Baldwin County, with more than 200 doctors on the
medical staff and services that range from the most advanced diagnostics
to a state-of-the-art Cancer Center and Heart Center.
Thomas Hospital will launch a new weight management program in the fall
for overweight and obese children and teens. The program will aim to
help participants adopt healthier eating and exercise habits, enhance
self-esteem and begin to normalize their weight within their potential.
The program will include sessions for the entire family to help families
achieve healthier lifestyles through balanced nutrition and regular
physical activity.
“Childhood obesity has reached the epidemic stage, especially in
Alabama,” Bart Benson, director of Thomas Health & Fitness said.
“Currently, there just aren’t enough programs or resources in place to
help those children who fall into this category. This generous donation
from Food World and the Senior Bowl to the Thomas Hospital Foundation
will help us launch this program in the fall and be able to offer this
program to children and teens throughout Baldwin County.”
Mercy Medical is the only provider of the full range of pediatric home
care services in both Mobile and Baldwin counties. This level of
specialty care allows critically ill children to remain at home as much
as possible, out of the acute care hospital, surrounded by family and
friends. The program, especially important for pediatric hospice
patients, began in 1998 and has since served more than 600 children and
their families in the area.
“Mercy Medical is grateful to Food World and the Senior Bowl
organizations for their generosity to our Guardian Angel Program,” said
Mercy Medical President and Chief Executive Officer Mary Kay Polys.
“Each year, hundreds of children in Mobile and Baldwin counties are
discharged from acute care hospitals, but still require ongoing medical
care. Like many of Mercy’s healthcare programs, our pediatric home care
services were born from an unmet need in the community and a desire to
fill that need and care for these children.”
The Food World Senior Bowl Charity Run is one of America’s premier road
races, annually held annually in November in downtown Mobile and
features over 4,500 runners in its 10K and One-Mile Fun Run events.
Since 2000, the race has also held the prestigious distinction of
serving as the host site for the USA Track and Field 10,000 Meter
National Championship, as America’s premier distance runners and U.S.
Olympians have competed for the coveted USA title during the event.
The 19th annual Food World Senior Bowl Charity Run is scheduled for
Saturday, November 4, 2006.
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