DMF - LEND A HAND / ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL

It is my mission to train for the 2013 Chicago Marathon, and in the process of that training, I am planning to complete 31 half-marathons in prayerful dedication to the 31 victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School and 2013 Boston Marathon tragedies. I am entitling this journey "THE EXTRA sMILE: 31-4-31-4-HOPE"; 31 half-marathons for these 31 souls in an effort to raise donations for both the Dakota Medical Foundation - Lend A Hand program and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

DMF - Lend A Hand

 

Lend A Hand is a program of Dakota Medical Foundation (DMF) that helps caring community members raise funds for families experiencing a medical crisis. The program provides fundraising resources, online giving options and matching funds to inspire and compound giving. 100% of contributions are distributed to eligible families living in Cass County, ND and Clay County, MN.

 

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

 

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases. St. Jude's was founded by entertainer Danny Thomas, with help from Dr. Lemuel Diggs and close friend, Miami Florida auto magnate Anthony Abraham., on the premise that "no child should die in the dawn of life".[1] This idea resulted from a promise that Danny Thomas had made to a saint years before the hospital was founded. Thomas was a comedian, who was struggling to get a break in his career and living paycheck to paycheck. When his first child was about to be born, he attended a mass in Detroit and put his last $7 in the offering bin after being incredibly moved by the service. He prayed to St. Jude Thaddeus for a means to provide for his family, and about a week later, he obtained a gig that paid 10 times what he had put in the offering bin. After that time, Thomas believed in the power of prayer. He promised St. Jude Thaddeus that if he made him successful, he would one day build him a shrine. Years later, Danny Thomas became an extremely successful comedian and built St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a shrine to St. Jude Thaddeus to honor his promise.