This year’s proceeds from the JN Foundation Heroes in Act!on Run/Walk, will go towards upgrading the Trelawny Infirmary.
The infirmary, which currently houses 52 residents, operates under the purview of the Poor Relief Department of the Local Government Ministry.
The funding will ensure that the facility’s occupants have access to the kind of environment that promotes physical and emotional well-being.
The Government has given its full endorsement of the Run/Walk, which will be held on Sunday, October 15, starting at 6:30 a.m. with a warm-up session at the Falmouth Pier.
Speaking at the launch of the event at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on August 30, both Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, and Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, pledged their support for the activity, noting that they, along with teams from their Ministries, will be participating.
Minister Grange said the event fits within the Government’s national sports policy, which not only speaks to sports at the elite level, but at the grassroots and recreational levels as well.
“The vision of the policy is to create a dynamic and enabling environment in which persons enjoy and excel in sport at all levels, while building strong bonds of unity in communities and keeping physically fit,” she said.
For his part, Dr. Tufton said it is important that the Government back an event such as the Run/Walk, which supports the overarching message of promoting physical activity among Jamaicans.
“The statistics are clear – seven out of every 10 deaths in Jamaica are linked to lifestyle diseases (such as) arthritis, hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disease – all of which could be avoided or prevented or reduced, if Jamaicans engage in minimal physical activity and (consume healthy meals),” he said.
Dr. Tufton said he is also pleased that the infirmary will be the beneficiary of the proceeds from the event, especially given the fact that the facility opened its doors to 30 patients who are social cases from the Cornwall Regional Hospital in St. James. These are persons with nowhere to go, who were residing at the hospital.
The Trelawny Infirmary caters for Falmouth’s aged population and is the only free government facility of its kind in the parish.
Most of the persons at the Infirmary are the elderly, with a few younger individuals who have a variety of mental health challenges.
This is the third staging of the Run/Walk, which is also supported by the Usain Bolt Foundation. It will comprise a 4K Fun Run and a 10k Run, which starts and ends at the Falmouth Pier.
For more information on the routes and to register, persons can visit the JN Foundation website at: www.www.jnfoundation.com, or the Running Events site at www.runningeventsja.com. Participants can also register at any JN branch or Money Shop islandwide. Registration closes at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 11.
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