By Jackie Abellada
Daily Bruin Contributor
As Antonio Martos gently placed pieces of paper with three-digit
numbers on his 6-year-old daughter, 2-year-old son and himself, a
woman could not help but take a picture. No one would think that
such young children could participate in a mini-marathon. But that
they did.
Along with more than 800 men, women and children, Martos and his
children rose early Sunday morning to participate in the Third
Annual Children’s Walk for Life. The five kilometer walk/run
sponsored by the Student Welfare Commission was created to raise
money for the Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA.
“I think it’s a great event,” said Martos, a
first-time participant. “Anything raising money for children
is a great thing.”
All the money raised by the registration of the participants and
any donations will go directly to the hospital, according to
Shalini Dogra, the advertising director and media liaison for the
event.
Most of the money will be put aside for the nationally
recognized Child Life/Child Development program, which consists of
volunteers who come into the hospital to interact with the
hospitalized children and their families, said Edward McCabe,
physician in chief of the Mattel Children’s Hospital.
The theme for this year’s fund-raiser was an old-time
favorite movie, “The Wizard of Oz.” According to the
SWC, the characters in the movie ““ the Tin Man, the Scarecrow
and the Cowardly Lion ““ represent the continual search for a
heart, a brain and courage.
“The idea is that with knowledge, compassion and courage,
we can cure these diseases,” Dogra said. “Also, the way
these little kids live is amazing ““ the courage they have and
how they go on.”
The participants officially began their journey through the UCLA
campus a little past 9 a.m. Twenty minutes and one second later,
Chris Robertson, a UCLA student, became the first person to be
congratulated by Mattel’s own real-life Barbie at the finish
line. Melissa McBain, a third-year member of the track and field
team, was the first female to return to Bruin Plaza, finishing with
a time of 21:54.
The first walk/run three years ago included 500 participants and
garnered close to $20,000. This year, both the SWC and the
Mattel’s Children Hospital had hoped for a dramatic increase
in both categories ““ a 1,000-person turnout and $100,000 in
donations. Although the final tallies are not yet in, SWC is
optimistic they accomplished what they set out to do.
Several entertainers attended the event, including STAR
98.7’s Ryan Seacrest and Lisa Foxx, who offered two free
tickets for the radio’s upcoming Fan Nation 2 concert.
Goldspot, a Los Angeles-based band, closed up the three-hour event
just after 11 a.m., playing several of their songs for the
audience.
“We live a few miles from here so it’s our
community,” Seacrest said. “In terms of the hospital,
you can never have enough resources for the children’s
hospital for research and treatment.”
The festivities included food and refreshments, games, an
inflated moon-bounce and even a silent auction. Various companies
donated items to the auction, including Oakley, Tiffany & Co.
and Hard Rock Cafe. The hottest item of the day was a basketball
signed by legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.
In the end, as people wiped off the visages of a worthwhile
walk, run or a combination of both, they knew they had done a good
deed.
“It means a lot in terms of student supporting us and for
the hospital,” McCabe said. “I just want to thank all
the students who helped and to all the people who
participated.”