We are Heart and Sole - Meet Catherine Stewart!

We are Heart and Sole - Meet Catherine Stewart!

Written by Catherine Monday, February 20 2012

The Development Coordinator at GHS Children's Medical Center, a friend and a part of the Heart and Sole Family.

I am Catherine Stewart and this is what Heart and Sole means to me.

I did not have the opportunity to meet Bowen McElreath in her short time here, but I do know that she was a beautiful and memorable little angel who touched the lives of many and made a lasting impression on everyone who came in contact with her. Through my time with Heart & Sole, through the memories and stories that I have heard, I feel like Bowen was my family too.

As the Development Coordinator at GHS Children’s Medical Center, I have the joy of walking through the doors of the Children’s Medical Center every day and seeing the AMAZING things that Heart & Sole does for our organization and, most importantly, for kids like Bowen.

First, it’s about Community Involvement. To show up at GHS Children’s Medical Center the morning of the big race and see more than 1,000 individuals--some who have traveled near and far to either walk/ run or to volunteer--is amazing. As we start under the rainbow balloon and through the streets of downtown Augusta, we are all there for one reason and one reason only--because we care about the kids and their families treated at GHS Children’s Medical Center.  More than 70,000 kids are treated here each year, and because of organizations like Heart & Sole, they are able to have advanced technology, research, specialized pediatric physicians, camps and outings and so much more! The list just goes on and on.

Second, it’s about Laughter. My most favorite thing about Heart & Sole (other than just how much fun it is) is what it brings to the kids, something they never will forget…CAMP STRONG HEART.  Camp Strong Heart is a summer camp for kids with “special hearts,” who otherwise may not have the opportunity to go to summer camp due to the special care they need. Think about it: These children can go and just be kids and do things like fishing, play basketball, swim, go to a dance, have a carnival, and for three days forget that they were born with a “special heart.” When they go swimming at camp, they aren’t the only child with a scar on their chest, and they feel NORMAL! Meanwhile mom and dad can rest assured at home knowing that their children are OK…in fact they are better than OK…they are GREAT! Because they are having fun and all the medical care they need is right there with them.

Even more, Heart & Sole not only helps kids go to camp, but it also helps children in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which cares for more than 500 premature babies each year; the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), which cares for children from birth to 21 years of age with life-threatening illnesses and trauma injuries; and the Surgery unit, which performs more than 6,600 surgeries each year.

Finally, it’s about Giving Thanks. Thank you so much to the more than 70 sponsors, 1,000 walkers and hundreds of volunteers that make the Heart & Sole events possible. We could not have the wonderful care and programs that we have here at GHS Children’s Medical Center without your support and love every year. Thank you for coming out and making a difference for our KIDS!

I hope you will join me under the rainbow on Saturday, March 3, as I run for all the kids currently being treated at GHS Children’s Medical Center, for those that were taken from this life too soon and for those blessed to have healthy children.  One thing is for sure, a little bit of Bowen’s spirit will be with each participant as they cross the finish line.