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</a>Great photo
Residents walk, run for Safety Town and cystic fibrosis
Events raised money for education program, disease research.
September 10, 2006
Michael Beason and his younger brother Brett (center) lead the half-mile race at the Walk Toward Safety Town event at Summer Grove Baptist Church on Saturday morning. (Shane Bevel/The Times)
"It's so crucial for children to learn the importance of safety."
Sharon Ketchum, first-place finisher in the women's division of the 5K Run, Walk, and Stroll for Safety Town
"We're doing well, but this disease is a very scary thing to deal with every day."
Barbara Feibel, grandmother of a child with Cystic Fibrosis
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Latest headlines by topic:
. Family
. Medicine
. Cystic Fibrosis
. Charitable Organizations
. Kids
. Health
. Fibrosis
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By Rhagen Russell
rhagenrussell@gannett.com
Good weather and worthwhile causes got residents on their feet Saturday morning as walk/run fundraiser events were held in both Shreveport and Bossier City.
Beginning at 7:30 a.m., a half-mile Fun Run and 5K Run, Walk, and Stroll were held at Summer Grove Baptist Church (formerly South Park Mall) to benefit the Sheriff Steve Prator's Safety Town project.
"We're here to raise money for a project that will teach kids to be safe," said Demetria Parker, co-chairperson of fundraising for Safety Town.
Plans for the $1.2 million hands-on educational center began three years ago, and the sheriff's office is currently working to obtain funding. According to Parker, Saturday's first walk/run raised about $2,000 for the effort.
Sharon Ketchum, who finished first in the women's division of the 5K, was one of more than 100 participants to register for the event.
She was joined in the race by her husband and three of her children.
"We wanted to support the Safety Town cause, especially since we have four children," said Ketchum. "It's so crucial for children to learn the importance of safety, and a different setting with authority figures can help it sink in a little better."
According to Parker, Safety Town will be a "mini city," replete with "mini buildings, cars and school buses."
Visits to the center will be included in the curriculum of Caddo and Bossier Parish second-grade students.
"I think Safety Town is going to be good," said 11-year-old Kellie Abbott, who finished her first 5K with a time of 34:58. "It will be fun, and it's a good idea for them to teach us ways to be safe."
At 10 a.m., the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation kicked off its Great Strides Walk at the Arthur Teague Parkway boat launch in Bossier City.
The CFF fundraiser, while not a competitive event, brought in about 40 participants and more than $6,000 in donations to the foundation.
Representatives from the Bossier City Fire Department stopped by to show their support for the sixth annual gathering.
Cystic fibrosis, which affects approximately 30,000 American adults and children, is a potentially fatal genetic disease.
A defective protein produced by patients with CF results in thick mucus that can clog the lungs, obstruct the pancreas and impede absorption of nutrients.
The CFF was established in 1955 as a nonprofit organization committed to treating patients and supporting research to find a cure.
"People could not afford to live with this disease if they couldn't get help from the foundation," said Barbara Feibel, whose granddaughter suffers from CF.
"Most people really don't know anything about cystic fibrosis," Feibel said. "Researchers have really made strides, as far as dealing with the disease goes, but the foundation needs more support. We're doing well, but this disease is a very scary thing to deal with every day."
Medical breakthroughs have added more than five years to the median survival age of CF patients since 2002.
"Our hope is that in the near future, we can find a cure for the disease, instead of treatments for the symptoms," said Jim Barlow, whose son was diagnosed with CF. "We don't have a massive support base, because it's not a very well-known disease. Our community has to pull together and make money."
The Safety Town project and the CFF both plan to heighten awareness of their causes with additional fundraisers in upcoming months.
">http://www.shreveporttimes.com...cle?AID=2006609100330
</a>Great photo
Residents walk, run for Safety Town and cystic fibrosis
Events raised money for education program, disease research.
September 10, 2006
Michael Beason and his younger brother Brett (center) lead the half-mile race at the Walk Toward Safety Town event at Summer Grove Baptist Church on Saturday morning. (Shane Bevel/The Times)
"It's so crucial for children to learn the importance of safety."
Sharon Ketchum, first-place finisher in the women's division of the 5K Run, Walk, and Stroll for Safety Town
"We're doing well, but this disease is a very scary thing to deal with every day."
Barbara Feibel, grandmother of a child with Cystic Fibrosis
Related news from the Web
Latest headlines by topic:
. Family
. Medicine
. Cystic Fibrosis
. Charitable Organizations
. Kids
. Health
. Fibrosis
Powered by Topix.net
ADVERTISEMENT
By Rhagen Russell
rhagenrussell@gannett.com
Good weather and worthwhile causes got residents on their feet Saturday morning as walk/run fundraiser events were held in both Shreveport and Bossier City.
Beginning at 7:30 a.m., a half-mile Fun Run and 5K Run, Walk, and Stroll were held at Summer Grove Baptist Church (formerly South Park Mall) to benefit the Sheriff Steve Prator's Safety Town project.
"We're here to raise money for a project that will teach kids to be safe," said Demetria Parker, co-chairperson of fundraising for Safety Town.
Plans for the $1.2 million hands-on educational center began three years ago, and the sheriff's office is currently working to obtain funding. According to Parker, Saturday's first walk/run raised about $2,000 for the effort.
Sharon Ketchum, who finished first in the women's division of the 5K, was one of more than 100 participants to register for the event.
She was joined in the race by her husband and three of her children.
"We wanted to support the Safety Town cause, especially since we have four children," said Ketchum. "It's so crucial for children to learn the importance of safety, and a different setting with authority figures can help it sink in a little better."
According to Parker, Safety Town will be a "mini city," replete with "mini buildings, cars and school buses."
Visits to the center will be included in the curriculum of Caddo and Bossier Parish second-grade students.
"I think Safety Town is going to be good," said 11-year-old Kellie Abbott, who finished her first 5K with a time of 34:58. "It will be fun, and it's a good idea for them to teach us ways to be safe."
At 10 a.m., the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation kicked off its Great Strides Walk at the Arthur Teague Parkway boat launch in Bossier City.
The CFF fundraiser, while not a competitive event, brought in about 40 participants and more than $6,000 in donations to the foundation.
Representatives from the Bossier City Fire Department stopped by to show their support for the sixth annual gathering.
Cystic fibrosis, which affects approximately 30,000 American adults and children, is a potentially fatal genetic disease.
A defective protein produced by patients with CF results in thick mucus that can clog the lungs, obstruct the pancreas and impede absorption of nutrients.
The CFF was established in 1955 as a nonprofit organization committed to treating patients and supporting research to find a cure.
"People could not afford to live with this disease if they couldn't get help from the foundation," said Barbara Feibel, whose granddaughter suffers from CF.
"Most people really don't know anything about cystic fibrosis," Feibel said. "Researchers have really made strides, as far as dealing with the disease goes, but the foundation needs more support. We're doing well, but this disease is a very scary thing to deal with every day."
Medical breakthroughs have added more than five years to the median survival age of CF patients since 2002.
"Our hope is that in the near future, we can find a cure for the disease, instead of treatments for the symptoms," said Jim Barlow, whose son was diagnosed with CF. "We don't have a massive support base, because it's not a very well-known disease. Our community has to pull together and make money."
The Safety Town project and the CFF both plan to heighten awareness of their causes with additional fundraisers in upcoming months.