GOPEDS runners get ‘full Bix treatment’

Rebel Sanchez was proud of the race medal she earned. The 7-year-old Davenport girl just completed the Genesis Outpatient Pediatric Therapy Center (GOPEDS)  version of the Junior Bix run on Wednesday afternoon, July 26, and had a medal around her neck to prove it. She was happy to show it off. “Inclusiveness is so important […]

Rebel Sanchez was proud of the race medal she earned. The 7-year-old Davenport girl just completed the Genesis Outpatient Pediatric Therapy Center (GOPEDS)  version of the Junior Bix run on Wednesday afternoon, July 26, and had a medal around her neck to prove it. She was happy to show it off. “Inclusiveness is so important for her. She just thrives in an environment like this,” said Karla Sanchez, her mother.

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Rebel was one of between 75 and 100 youngsters to run on the sunny, hot afternoon outside the Genesis Medical Park building at 2535 Maplecrest Road, Bettendorf. The event was for young special needs patients of GOPEDS. Many have mobility issues because of injury, autism, cerebral palsy or other conditions. “This is a really fun opportunity for them to take part in something in the community. … It’s a really unique opportunity for the kiddos,” said Katie Powers, Genesis Pediatric physical therapist and one of the event organizers. Ms. Powers added that the GOPEDS race is not a new event. She has been helping organize it for the past 16 years and the races began at least a few years before she got involved.  What made this year’s event special is that it was the first time the GOPEDS kids got the “full Bix treatment.” Instead of a very informal event with a handful of kids, parents and Genesis workers, this year’s run featured Quad-City Times Bix 7 officials handing out medals, T-shirts, a warm-up session before the race, the singing of the national anthem before the race, and perhaps the favorite moment came after the races – when popsicles were handed out to the runners. “The race crew just made this bigger and better today,” Ms. Powers added. The Quad-City Times Bix 7 crew members assisting also were happy to be part of the GOPEDS races. “I’m so excited to team up with Genesis. … I could not be more proud to be part of this,” said Michelle Juehring, the Quad City Times Bix 7 race director, before the start of Wednesday’s GOPEDS races. The GOPEDS event actually featured two races for the youngsters. The “short route” consisted of kids running around the front awning area of the Genesis building. The longer route, which attracted many more runners, had the kids running one lap around the medical building. Parents and youngsters in both events said they enjoyed taking part in the races, even on a hot afternoon. Among them was Tara Wilson of Moline. Before the races, she was helping her daughter, Vada Wilson, get ready for the run by pinning the runner’s bib to the front of her daughter's T-shirt. “It’s a fun thing for her to do. We just want to come out here to support (GOPEDS),” Ms. Wilson said. Not far away from the Wilsons, Brianna Schwertman of Bettendorf also was looking forward to the races and helping her son, Max, 5, get ready to run. “I think it’s important for Max to be out here today and take part in events like this,” she said. In addition to the kids running and the parents cheering them on, the GOPEDS Junior Bix also featured many Genesis workers. They were at the event helping sign up kids for the races,  getting the racers in line to run, making sure they didn’t start to run before the race actually started and also cheering them on. Many of them were also wearing T-shirts that had one of the main themes of the day on them: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” See a list of Quad City Times Bix 7 race events here.