OXFORD,
Miss. – University of Mississippi students, faculty and staff and
others in the Oxford area are dusting off their sneakers in preparation
for the 11th Annual Jean Jones Walk/ Run for Cancer, scheduled April 4.
The event is hosted by the UM Counseling Center and the Ole Miss Rebel baseball team.
Registration
begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Ole Miss Student Union Plaza. The fee is $20
per person, which includes a free Jean Jones Walk/Run T-shirt, as well
as fruit snacks and beverages.
Participants who opt to walk will
complete a two-mile trek, and those who run will follow a three-mile
course around Oxford. Throughout the event, there will be activities
for those who come to support walk/run participants.
For dog lovers, there’s a best-dressed pup competition, as well as an adoptable pet area. Children are invited to a kid-friendly area with a bounce house, face painting and various games. The benefit concludes with an awards ceremony at 11 a.m.
Whether walking or running, participants will honor the late Jean Jones, who was among the first female departmental directors at the university. She was a mentor, counselor, teacher and friend to those she encountered in her 25 years at Ole Miss. After Jones lost her battle to cancer in 1997, the University Counseling Center decided to celebrate her life with one of her many passions: walking.
“Jean was an extremely kind and passionate person,” said Susannah Furr, associate director of the center. “She was a positive and encouraging role model for those around her.”
Proceeds of the walk/ run go to the Jean Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Baptist Health Care Foundation Patient Assistance Fund.
The Jean Jones Memorial Scholarship recipient traditionally inherits the walk/run coordinator position. Last year’s scholarship recipient and this year’s coordinator is graduate student Gail Greene of Oxford.
“This scholarship is a big deal to me,” Greene said. “The counseling center is like one big family, and it’s great to be a part of that.”
Although Greene never met Jones, she says she looks up to her.
“It’s amazing how you can tell what a huge impact she made here,” Greene said. “It’s all about celebrating her by putting souls in motion.”
For more information concerning the Jean Jones Walk/Run for Cancer contact Gail Greene at the University Counseling Center, 662-915-7939 or e-mail her at jjwalk@olemiss.edu.