Lexie Shadix, Campus Carrier asst. arts and living editor
The Turkey Trot, a 5k run and one mile walk aimed at raising money for tuberculossi treatment, will be hosted at Berry on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 10AM. The event will be hosted by the Partners in Health Engage (PIH Engage) chapter at Berry. PIH Engage is an international organization that works with various communities to strengthen health care across the world, advocating for health care as a human right.
“I started the group last year after I read a book called ‘Mountains Beyond Mountains,’” Miriam Miller, a junior majoring in nursing, said. “We currently have eight people on our leadership team and then, I would say, like [a] rotating basis on who comes to our events, probably between fifteen and twenty [people].”
This is the first year that the chapter will host the Turkey Trot, with the hopes that it will become an annual event. The event is aimed at raising money for tuberculosis treatment worldwide, which is the cause PIH Engage is focusing on this year.
“Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death for infectious diseases worldwide,” Miller said. “In the United States, infection rates have gone down significantly because of certain protocols that we have and how we treat tuberculosis, but that is not the case globally. The statistic is that one person [dies from tuberculosis every 20 seconds] which is a completely curable disease.”
The fee for the Trot is $10, the cost coming out to be far less than other 5k runs, which normally cost upwards of $30.
“I think this 5k is unique because we have a cause behind it,” Destiny Davis, a sophomore nursing student and the fundraising league for the chapter, said. “Turkey Trots, like many people know, are very common. But a part of this one is joining us, as the Berry community, for a cause that is bigger than us and fundraising for that, and kind of having a purpose for why we’re running as opposed to just running because it’s a Turkey Trot.”
The event is organized and funded entirely by students, which sets it apart from other Trots as well. Another unique thing about this race is that nursing students can sign up as a fundraiser.
“[Nursing students] have to go to Kenya as a part of our course curriculum,” Miller said. “It’s required, and it’s $5,000 that a lot of students are prepared to pay for. When we were designing this race, we wanted to partner with the nursing department so students could use the race as a platform to fundraise, separate from Partners in Health, for their own trip.”
The logo for the Turkey Trot hosted by Partners in Health Engage at Berry
Portals are available on the chapter’s website to donate to any of the fundraising students. All of the money that is raised for tuberculosis will be given to the main chapter of PIH Engage and then distributed as they see fit. Much of the advertisement for the Trot was done through tabling and class visits, some professors even deciding to give extra credit for those who participate. Students and faculty, along with their families, have been invited to participate in the event. Participants are even welcome to sign up on the day of the event. Those who choose to participate can choose between completing the 5k run or the one mile walk. If someone wants to help but does not want to run or walk, then they can also sign up to volunteer at the race, doing things such as handing out water.
“We’re using the Viking Trail [as the racecourse],” Miller said. “[The race] is going to start behind Morgan, and then we’re using the loop as well as the beginning of the Viking Trail to get the 3.1 miles.”
Regarding timing, the chapter has partnered with Wire to Wire, a regionally owned timing company, to professionally time and film runners and walkers. The runners will be “chasing” a professor voted on by students and will be dressed up as a turkey.
Throughout the racecourse, there will be a series of signs displaying statistics about tuberculosis and how disparity in its treatment is affecting the global community.
“I am hoping it will engage our participants in fighting for healthcare for everyone and it will make them aware of the issues of the healthcare systems, that not only our country has, but the entire world,” Sarah Hanaford, a sophomore chemistry student and involved with the chapter, said. “For the tuberculosis program, I am hoping that this will make a big push in eradicating tuberculosis throughout the world, as it is in the United States.”
PIH Engage also works to pass legislation aimed at improving healthcare.
“Another thing that really impacts how our healthcare works and other country’s healthcare is actually getting bills passed in our Congress because we provide a lot of aid to other countries,” Hanaford said. “Currently, we are working on the End TB Now Act, and that is a bipartisan, no cost bill. The bill basically says that the organizations that do go out and treat tuberculosis, we would like them to report how many times they use the ‘Search, Treat and Prevent method,’ because that is the method that has been shown to work and get rid of tuberculosis.”
PIH Engage also did an appropriations ask of over one billion dollars to go towards helping end tuberculosis, which has been passed in the Senate and is working its way through the House.
The fight for quality healthcare worldwide is an ongoing one. The fight against tuberculosis does not stop once the race has been called. It is not something that will be fixed overnight or by one individual; it takes time and teamwork to ensure that everyone across the world has access to the healthcare that they need. Students at Berry are fighting for that, and they are helping to educate others. The Turkey Trot has been a yearlong endeavor that is just now coming to life. The members of the PIH Engage chapter at Berry could have very easily have given up months ago, but they persevered.
For those interested, there are many ways to get involved with the fight for worldwide healthcare. People are welcome to donate to the cause through the organization’s website, pih.org. PIH Engage will be hosting other events throughout the year and students can are welcome to attend, or even get involved with the chapter itself. Everyone has a voice, and it can impart great change in the world.