Jog-a-Thon Helps Students Bridge the Gap

Leticia Gregg’s laughter could be heard from start to finish, even over the cheers of onlooking parents and the plodding, rattling sounds of sneakers and wheelchairs making their way around a closed-off section of Rinaldi Street in Granada Hills.

Gregg was a participant Tuesday in Sierra Canyon School’s 10th annual Jog-A-Thon for the United Cerebral Palsy/Spastic Children’s Foundation.

As one of about 30 residents from the foundation’s nearby Chatsworth facility taking part in the event, Gregg rejoiced in the excitement of being among such an enthusiastic crowd of what she called “regular people.”

After her wheelchair was pushed past the one kilometer track’s finish line, the 26-year-old woman affected by cerebral palsy settled in the shade and watched a group of Sierra Canyon students play in a schoolyard field.

According to Norma Mowrey, director of the Chatsworth facility, the experience was enough to make Gregg happy for weeks.

The event, which raises about $3,500 per year to help fund basic therapy programs at the foundation, is an enriching experience for all of the foundation’s residents, Mowrey said.

Because of residents’ disabilities, “the community is usually not very accepting” of them, Mowrey said. “But, these people need and love to be with those who are not handicapped because it helps them feel less different.

“The children react marvelously to them, which allows the residents to begin to form certain attachments. Once they realize that they have a friend, they will never forget that friend.”

Engaged in extensive therapy sessions at the hospital that focus on improving motor skills, identifying cause/effect relationships and practicing personal grooming, the residents have little opportunity to interact with the community at large, Mowrey said. But they eagerly anticipate such occasions.

“It expands their worlds,” she said. “They have a strong desire to be accepted by others and realize that, when they get more exposure, they are educating the community to be more accepting of those with disabilities.”

Louise Cooper-Lovelace, a second-grade teacher at Sierra Canyon who initiated the fund-raiser in 1986, agreed.

“Some kids who are new to this event find people with cerebral palsy a little scary,” Cooper-Lovelace said. “They think that it is contagious. What’s scares them is their lack of knowledge.”

To mitigate potential fears, United Cerebral Palsy administrators visit the school during the week before the jog-a-thon to inform students of the causes and effects of cerebral palsy.

With that knowledge, the Sierra Canyon students who attend the event are more curious than scared, Cooper-Lovelace said.

Rachel Allice elaborated on that curiosity as she slowly strolled around the track with Vickie, another resident at the foundation.

“This is really fun,” the sixth-grader said. “When I found out I was going to push somebody around the track, I wondered what pace I should keep and if they would even enjoy it.”

Passed by the laughing Gregg, Rachel pushed Vickie across the finish line and shrugged.

“I could do this again,” she said.