The 2nd annual Florence Neal Cooper Smith 5K Walk 4 Sickle Cell was full of sunshine, hope and high spirits for the future. Photos: Daniel Sangjib Min, MCV Foundation
The Highland Springs High School marching band kicked off the 5K walk.
Rev. Tyrone Nelson, a VCU Health board member and chair of Henrico County Board of Supervisors for the Varina district, shared remarks before the start of the walk.
Lawrence Cooper, Florence Neal Cooper Smith’s son, shared remarks as one of the guest speakers. CBS 6 "This Morning" anchor Reba Hollingsworth served as the event’s emcee.
Florence Neal Cooper Smith (seated), founded the Virginia Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Program on the MCV Campus.
Community events like the Florence Neal Cooper Smith 5K Walk 4 Sickle Cell are not possible without the dedication and commitment of volunteers and hosts like Finding a Cure Together 4 Sickle Cell (F.A.C.T.S.), the Upsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and Zenobia's Promise Foundation.
Members of the Upsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. with Florence Neal Cooper Smith. Photo: Zaynah Qutubuddin, MCV Foundation
Hope and High Spirits at the 2nd Annual Walk for Sickle Cell
Thanks to the dedication of many Greater Richmond community members, a walk this month raised more than $16,000 for sickle cell disease research, prevention and treatment.
After a week of mist, clouds and rain, the sun returned, warm and bright for the 2nd annual Florence Neal Cooper Smith 5K Walk 4 Sickle Cell on Sept. 21 at Henrico County’s Dorey Park.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disease that affects around 100,000 people in the U.S. It causes painful episodes that can be severe and last for days or weeks with serious complications, including stroke, organ damage, acute chest syndrome, and premature death.
Held during Sickle Cell Awareness Month, the event was organized by Finding a Cure Together 4 Sickle Cell (F.A.C.T.S.), with support from the Upsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and Zenobia's Promise Foundation.
“It’s all about the support system around you,” said guest speaker Malik Lawson, a sophomore at Virginia State University who has lived with sickle cell disease since birth. “You all motivate me to keep myself up and keep myself good.”
Last year’s inaugural walk also raised more than $16,000.
All proceeds from the walk benefit the Florence Neal Cooper Smith Professorship at the VCU School of Medicine, which was established in 2014 and is the first of its kind to be named for a Black woman in the U.S.
Florence Neal Cooper Smith is a Richmond native who has been a tireless advocate for sickle cell awareness and research for more than a half century.
In 1969, she organized Richmond’s first citywide survey to determine awareness of sickle cell disease, and in 1972 she founded the Virginia Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Program on the MCV Campus with Dr. Robert B. Scott Sr. The program became one of the original 19 federally funded screening clinics in the U.S.
Since 1989, an average of 75 newborns in Virginia are diagnosed with sickle cell disease. Thanks to Smith’s efforts, Virginia is a leader in screening all newborn children for sickle cell, and the test is now part of routine newborn screenings. Today, it is estimated that one in 500 African Americans live with the disease, while 1 in 12 are carriers of the sickle cell trait.
The fundraising goal for the Florence Neal Cooper Smith Professorship is $1 million, which, if achieved, would elevate the position to an endowed chair in support of sickle cell research. To date, more than $550,000 has been raised.
Wally R. Smith, M.D., a nationally recognized expert in sickle cell disease, is the inaugural holder of the professorship and serves as the director of VCU Health’s Adult Sickle Cell Program. He spoke at the event, saying that philanthropically supported research at VCU Health and other academic health systems has already changed and saved lives, and that more community support will continue to help find treatments and ways to cure sickle cell disease.
If you would like to support sickle cell disease research and care on the MCV Campus, please consider making a gift online to the Florence Neal Cooper Smith Professorship by contacting Samantha Charlet, assistant director of development at the MCV Foundation.
