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Runners sought for 'Miles for Malawi' 5K Thanksgiving morning |
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SPRINGFIELD Take a run or walk on Thanksgiving morning, and accomplish two things: Burn a few calories before the big meal, and help raise funds for a health clinic in an impoverished and isolated region in Malawi.
The second annual Miles for Malawi five-kilometer run will be held this year at Van Horn Park in Springfield on Nov, 26 starting at 9:30 a.m., and will include special guest Mags Riordan, the Irish woman who is the founder of The Billy Riordan Memorial Clinic in Cape Maclear, Malawi.
Riordan said she is excited about her coming trip to the Springfield area, where she has found hundreds of friends who have helped support the clinic since it opened in 2004.
"The generosity of the people in the Springfield area has made a huge difference for the clinic, and I'm very appreciative," Riordan said, who visits or sends a representative to the Big E every September. The clinic's Big E stand is inside the Irish Cottage in the Young Building.
Riordan works closely with the Billy's Malawi Project, a West Springfield-based non-profit agency whose sole mission is to raise funds for the clinic.
To date, more than $40,000 has been raised in the two years of the agency's existence.
The inspiration for the clinic was born of tragedy. In 1999, Riordan lost her son Billy, who drowned at age 25 while swimming in the lake on Cape Maclear in 1999. Following his death, Riordan traveled to Malawi to experience the "paradise" Billy always spoke of and to bring a hand sculpted memorial stone to the shores of Lake Malawi.
It was on this trip along with others that followed in which Riordan saw an outbreak of cholera and continual deaths from malaria and simple childhood diseases.
It was at this point Riordan very quickly realized that a medical clinic in this area is not just necessary but it is essential.
For these people medical treatment is almost non-existent.
There was no clinic, doctor or nurse available, and the nearest hospital care was a four-hour difficult journey away.
There was one doctor for 800,000 people in the nearest hospital, located in Mangochi, the nearest large town.
Having further observed the situation over a period of months, Riordan returned home to Ireland with the objective of raising enough money to build a clinic for the people of Cape Maclear.
Thanks to the hard work and enormous amount of time Riordan dedicated, the clinic opened in 2004, and has since been expanded to a HIV-AIDS clinic.
All runners and walkers are welcome to join the race on Thanksgiving morning.
The registration fee for this year's event is $25, which will cover a donation to the clinic and a tee-shirt.
To register, visit www.billysmalawiprojectusa.org or call Sr. Judy at 364-4241
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