By Marian Hambrick
With blue skies overhead, two hundred people gathered on Saturday for the Walk with the Animals at the Louisville Zoo. The event was sponsored by TWIGS (Together with Important Goals Shared) of Kosair Children’s Hospital, part of the Norton’s hospital system. This fundraiser will assist in building the Denny Crum Surgical Center.
The 11th annual walk is expected to raise from $15 to $25,000. Annually, TWIGS generates $100,000 through numerous fundraising events to benefit the hospital, such as the Festival of Trees and Lights in November. Other events throughout the year include read-a-thons, fashion shows, and luncheons. Additionally, the organization donates volunteer hours at the hospital.
The proceeds from this year’s walk are specifically designated for two operating rooms in the hospital, which is currently operating beyond capacity. Expanding the facilities will allow the hospital to operate on more children sooner. Currently, elective surgeries are being postponed for as long as four to six weeks.
“When children know they have to have surgery, there’s a lot of anxiety during that time,” said Ken Hodge, executive director of the Children’s Hospital Foundation. “The longer they have to wait, the more anxiety.”
In addition to its work with TWIGS, the foundation also supports the hospital with moneys for patient care, financial assistance, equipment, research, and education. Meeting with the hospital staff, the group identifies and prioritizes the hospital’s needs, matching them with donors and other volunteers for support.
TWIGS volunteers Rhonda Sheehan and Jackie Cain cochaired the walk. Planning began a year ago, as the group identified potential dates for the event and began making reservations. Three months prior to the walk, the group secured corporate sponsorships and underwriters. “This took months of meetings, planning, lots of trips in the car, phone calls, and it’s not from two or three people; it’s a joint effort,” Cain said.
While the group does not have the same marketing abilities as more prominent national walks, TWIGS still signed 13 major corporate sponsors for the event. Numerous door prizes were also donated by local businesses.
Walk-up registration began on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. Cool temperatures kept the individual participants and groups bundled together, readying themselves for the event. One such group was the U of L women’s tennis team. “We’re trying to get involved in the community and show that we care,” student-athlete Marina Torres said. Some volunteers handed out T-shirts and orange juice while others collected donations and provided participants with information. Despite the laughter and warm smiles, the effect of the terrorist attacks still lingered. Several walkers donned “God Bless America” T-shirts, while TWIGS volunteers distributed red, white and blue ribbons to fellow participants.
“It’s a difficult time in our country,” Hodge said. “But we’ll overcome because of the spirit and the volunteers and the support. This is just one example of what’s going on across the nation.”
The zoo’s gates opened an hour later. This was a fundraiser for the children, and they were abundant: pushed in strollers, carried on the backs of parents, walking hand in hand. Throughout the morning, families walked the zoo, and they were not disappointed. “We saw a lot more animals this year than last year: kimono dragons, butterflies, orangutans,” participant Heather Barnhill said.
While the rhinos rested, the elephants entertained the audiences, reaching for their morning breakfast and delighting onlookers with raised and sniffing trunks. After a tour through the zoo, participants gathered once more at the MetaZoo for the morning’s events.
Sheehan kicked off the ceremonies with a moment of silence in memory of attack victims and their families. Kosair’s pediatric oncologist chaplain Terry Tatro offered a prayer and later commented on the morning’s walk. “This is testimony of our resiliency, and we will continue to rebuild,” he said.
While the walkers ate pizza served up by volunteers, Sheehan called out names for door prizes. These included gift certificates for massages and manicures from local salons as well as basketballs signed by Denny Crum. Children also sat patiently for face paintings; of the possible selections, the American flag proved one of the more popular.
The event wrapped up at noon, and the volunteers were pleased with its successâ “My heart’s really into the hospital. It’s fun, and we know the cause: it’s such a good one and it helps so many kids,” TWIGS volunteer Carol Tinkle said.
The next TWIGS event is a hospital bazaar in Norton’s lobby on October 12th. For information about TWIGS membership, contact (502) 423-8735. To volunteer with either TWIGS or the Children’s Hospital Foundation, call (502) 629-8060.
