UT Ice Vol hockey players Robert Banks, freshman in civil engineering and Peter Williams, freshman in logistics, showed their support for cross-country runner Jasmine “Jazzy” Jordan on Wednesday by putting on their running gear and running alongside up Asheville Highway.
Both UT forwards ran a combined six miles while Jordan ran nearly 11 miles, adding to an already-astonishing total of over 2,200 miles.
Williams, who ran four-and-a-half miles, says that Jazzy’s effort should not go unnoticed, especially after the 17 year old has traveled so far.
“Running cross country doesn’t seem like it’s a lot, but it’s tougher than most people think,” Williams said.
Banks said that just getting out and running was a good way for the university to show its support, while the Dalton, Minn., native made her way through Knoxville.
“Just coming in and showing that we support (her) as part of the University of Tennessee not only helps the university show it cares, but it helps her cause out,” Banks said. “It’s such a prestigious university getting behind her on this type of thing.”
Jordan is a 17-year-old cross-country runner who put her goal of running in the 2012 Summer Olympics aside to honor a family friend, Sheila Grothe, who died on April 17, 2009, after an ongoing battle with cancer at the age of 38. Grothe was a well-respected truck driver in the family business, Jordan Enterprises and Pilot Car Service, as well as a family friend.
In dedication to Grothe, Jordan began running on Sept. 1, 2009, from La Verne, Calif., to New York City.
The runner’s effort is to try and raise money for the St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund (SCF), an organization which provides financial assistance to professional truck drivers who have medical problems and can’t afford health care. Studies show that 70 percent of the 3.2 million professional drivers in the U.S. have one or more serious health problems such as obesity, diabetes, sleep disorders and cardiovascular disease.
Like Jordan, Williams has grown up around the truck-driving business. The Ice Vol forward’s father, Skip Williams — the event coordinator for the Knoxville-based fund — is also an employee for Safety First Sleep Solutions, performing sleep apnea screening for truck drivers.
The event coordinator added, “What happens is (the truck driver’s) a good employee, and he gets sick and they fire him. Especially the over-the-road drivers, not because they’re bad employees, but because they’re sick and they don’t want their insurance to go up.”
UT alum Dr. Donna Kennedy is the executive director of the Knoxville-based fund and feels that the industry leaves very little breathing room for the uninsured truckers, even through sickness or injury.
“They could be in the hospital and say, ‘I have cancer’ or ‘I broke my leg’ and they’ll say, ‘Alright, you’re fired; we’re coming to get the truck, and we’re taking away your health insurance’ and they’re left with nothing,” Kennedy said. “(Then) on the other side, a lot of the people we help are owner-operators, so they’re having to cover their own insurance and it costs too much, so they choose to not do that and then they get injured or have a medical problem and then they’re really hurting.”
Donations can be made on Jazzy’s website at http://www.runwithjazzy.com, but according to the UT forwards, support can also come as easy as going for a run with Jordan during her journey.
“If they want to help her in ways of raising awareness, she’s continuing to run from here to New York City,” Williams added. “It’s going to take awhile; she has 900 miles left. I know people are busy with exams and everything, but after exam time, just run with her and show that you support her.”
The cross-country runner acknowledged the endless support she’s received on the trip from the towns she’s gone through, especially here in the hometown of the St. Christopher Fund.
“I’ve gotten a lot of support here in Knoxville,” Jazzy said. “It’s meant a lot to me. I can’t even say my best welcoming because so many places have been great.”
