Sacramento Man Finished 100-Mile-Run in 100 Degree Heat to Secure Health Care
for Uninsured Children
SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the thermometer
crept above the 100 degree mark, so did the expectation of a strong finish for
Jason Harper's 100-mile-run for the children of inner-city Sacramento's
roughest neighborhood. The Extra Mile Run was created by Harper to raise
awareness and support for the uninsured children of Oak Ridge Elementary
School.
Harper, 36, crossed the finish line on the playground of Oak Ridge at
29:35. Slightly dehydrated and exhausted, Harper's motivation never waned,
though his body did.
"It was a long night and I am glad I am finished with the heat," Harper
stated with ice packs being layered on his neck. "At the sixty mile mark, I
was very nauseous and couldn't hold much down."
Despite the difficulties with the 103 degree heat, Harper continued to
run.
"If we were really going to bring change, great awareness was going to
have to happen. Finishing in the heat brought a lot more attention to the
run," Harper stated.
For the last four years, Harper through Equal Start, has raised more than
$100,000 in goods and service to help Oak Ridge Elementary thrive in their
inner-city location. Despite the efforts of Equal Start, test scores remained
nearly unchanged. Harper asked Principal Steve Lewis what he thought the
reason was for little academic increase. Without hesitation, Lewis said, "A
child's health and wellness." Harper strategized and then asked, "How can
state-mandated test scores go up when sickness and access to basic health care
escapes them?"
Harper discovered more than 1,000,000 children in California did not have
health care and yet 70% of them qualified for it. The disconnect for medical
coverage was at the enrollment process. "We found great friends at Cover the
Kids. They mentored us to understand how to best get families aware of the
available medical services."
Cover the Kids is a non-profit organization that assists families with the
enrollment process to Medi-Cal, Healthy Kids, and Healthy Families. These
organizations handle the medical needs of California's under-privileged
children.
Brett Rodarte, a long-term broker of health insurance coverage and a
volunteer at Oak Ridge, explained the health care dilemma. Many families
without basic health care use the emergency rooms, that can't deny care, as
their only option. The cost for the simplest of procedures can cost thousands.
Those costs raise health care premiums and cost tax payers.
"The Extra Mile Run, as illogical it was, the approach he took was very
practical. His vision is proactive, instead of reactive," said Rodarte.
With nearly 800 people crammed on the playground to see the finish, media
and camera crews scurried to get in position. The staff, faculty, and students
buzzed with anticipated hope of a strong finish. In the distance, Harper, his
running buddies, Rick Cole and Principal Steve Lewis, appeared. Led by an
obviously pained Harper, the trio galloped towards the finish in the second
day of triple digit heat. In the final steps Cole raised Harper's arm to
signify victory. Harper crossed and the friends, children, parents, and
teachers of Oak Ridge screamed encouragement.
On this day, everyone at Oak Ridge Elementary knew they were significant.
The value of going The Extra Mile was more than a cliche. For Jason Harper, It
was the 100th mile that ended his greatest run and began the children's
greatest hope, health care.
For more information, please call 916-284-4431 or visit
http://www.extramilerun.com.
This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information,
visit http://www.ereleases.com.
SOURCE Equal Start
Equal Start, +1-916-284-4431
