Little did Jamie McGraw know when he crossed the finish line of his challenge in July on the campus of Notre Dame, that eight months later, he would be the recipient of a standing ovation and an award of excellence for his personal achievement.
Jamie has Down syndrome and has been a lifelong advocate for The Logan Center in South Bend. He’s also been employed at The Medical Foundation for nearly six years as a Blood Donor Attendant at our West Edison Mishawaka location. Jamie’s allegiance to both organizations shines when he talks about upcoming events.
Last year, he called a meeting with Logan and The Medical Foundation to discuss how he, as the Race Chairman since the run’s inception, could help make the Logan’s Run more successful as it entered its 10th year.
After some discussion, The Medical Foundation challenged Jamie to raise $10K for The Logan Center in donations and to run/ walk a 5K. For every blood donor who mentioned they wanted to support Jamie, The Medical Foundation would donate $5 to his challenge. Jamie was the first one to donate in his honor! With the theme of Blood, Sweat and No Tears, Jamie finished the challenge in front of several community bystanders at the Stepan Center at Notre Dame on July 23rd.
“In his own way, Jamie sheds light on the incredible contribution that an individual can make to a cause that matters,” said Ann Lagomarcino, Director of Marketing for Logan Center.
Her belief in Jamie and her feelings for his accomplishment led Ann to nominate Jamie for the INARF Annual Justin Dart Personal Achievement Award. The award is presented to an individual who has participated in services through INARF member agencies (Logan Center) and who has maximized their skills and abilities to achieve their chosen goals.
Jamie’s Challenged raised $15,120.53, blowing away the original goal of $10k. And his achievement of finishing the 5K made Jamie a great candidate for the award. With seven other people nominated,
Jamie won and was recognized for his achievement at the Sheridan Hotel in Indianapolis on March 13th during the Annual INARF Conference.
Although he may have been a little nervous walking up to the podium after being named the winner, Jamie walked with a confident stride, accepted the award and said, “I would like to thank Logan and The Medical Foundation.” He was clearly on cloud nine and enjoyed the accolades for a job well done.
Jamie’s an ambassador for the organizations he’s passionate about and he doesn’t let anything stand in the way of his ability to be successful.
“His passion is clear and his spirit is contagious,” said Lagomarcino.
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