SPOTLIGHT Kendrick Fincher Memorial Foundation : Run emphasizes heat can be lethal
Posted on Sunday, March 30, 2008
ROGERS — Darell and Joyce Floyd remember well the summer 13 years ago when Kendrick Fincher died of complications from heat stroke.
The Floyds’ sons, both from previous marriages, were entering sixth grade. Rhonda Fincher, Kendrick’s mother, was then Darell’s boss. They worked for a Wal-Mart vendor.
Kendrick fell unconscious on the first day of football practice, Aug. 7, 1995, and died 18 days later at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. He was 13.
In the wake of their son’s death, Rhonda and Mike Fincher founded the Kendrick Fincher Memorial Foundation to raise awareness about heat exhaustion and to promote hydration among active youths. The organization’s signature event is a youth run involving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The 10 th annual fundraiser will be held April 26 at Pinnacle Hills Promenade in Rogers.
The Floyds’ sons were very involved in athletics when Kendrick died. The couple know a heat-related illness easily could have happened to one of their own. They have served as co-chairmen of the youth run’s registration committee since the beginning. The work they do for the foundation is important to the couple “even if we save one or two lives; hopefully, we have,” Darell Floyd says.
The run is free, although pre-registration is preferred. The Floyds encourage all participants to register by April 11 at the foundation’s Web site, www. kendrickfincher. org, so they can process runners more quickly the morning of the run. Registration the day of the run starts at 8 a. m., with the warm-up at 8: 45. The half-mile run starts at 9 and will be followed by mile and 1 1 / 2-mile runs. Joyce Floyd handles most of the paperwork, and Darell organizes activities the day of the run.
The event has grown over the years and now averages about 500 participants. Some 100 to 150 volunteers staff the event. Every child who participates will get a blue ribbon.
“It’s gotten to the point that the kids look forward to this every year,” Floyd says.
Businesses donated items for goodie bags, and a contest was held to determine artwork for the official T-shirt. Kennadie Stucki, 7, of Eastside Elementary School in Rogers, created the winning design, which features a penguin.
A pre-run power rally will be held from 5: 30-8 p. m. April 25 at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center in Springdale. There will be food, games, entertainment and a silent auction. One auction item will be a signed Green Bay Packers football. Tickets are $ 7 for adults and $ 5 for children in kindergarten through eighth grade, with a $ 25 maximum per family.
That event is intended to attract more people from Washington County.
“This run is not just a Rogers run,” Floyd says.
The foundation also coordinated with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the new Springdalebased minor league baseball team, to offer an admission discount to youth-run participants the day after the run.
The foundation’s pamphlet and Web site describe ways to prevent heat illnesses. They also list the symptoms of heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, as well as treatment guidelines. They also show a heat index chart and note possible reactions to exposure to various levels of heat.
Foundation members have sent pamphlets to every high school athletic director in the country, along with letters explaining what the foundation is about. Floyd, who played football in his youth, says football coaches and trainers across the country are now using this heat index when scheduling football practices. He remembers enduring hot summer practices and their toll on players. “It’s not about being tough. It’s about being smart,” he says. The foundation has also sent nearly 200, 000 water bottles to groups and organizations across the country. Athletes and others should drink water before, during and after exercising. Some people might not know that. “We want it to be done correctly,” Floyd says. The foundation has blossomed in recent years and has gained some national attention. Good Housekeeping magazine recognized Rhonda Fincher’s efforts, and she was nominated for the Volvo for Life Award in the safety category. “We really want to get her on Oprah,” Joyce Floyd says. More information on the Kendrick Fincher Memorial Foundation is available by calling Rhonda Fincher at (479 ) 986-9960 or at
www. kendrickfi ncher. org
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