AMERICUS —
Leonard Pope paid a visit to his hometown Friday, touring the current Phoebe Sumter Medical Center’s interim facility and greeting both employees and patients alike.
“I remember a lot of faces from the times I have been here in the past,” said Pope, who was born at then-Sumter Regional Hospital and has been a staunch supporter of the hospital since it was destroyed by a tornado on March 1, 2007. “It is always good to come back and see friendly faces, and I am glad to see that plans for the new facility are on track.”
Pope, who is now with the Kansas City Chiefs, was also on hand to announce a partnership with his C.H.A.M.P. foundation (Creating Hope And Making Progress) and the hospital for his upcoming Kids Day, which will be June 26 at the Sumter County Fairgrounds.
“The NFL has a program in place that stresses the importance of kids getting out of the house and getting active (The NFL at 60), and I wanted to use that as a basis for my annual Fun Day here in Americus,” said Pope, who helped lead Americus to two high school football titles before moving on to Georgia. “We will still have fun, but there will be a lot of activities for the kids to keep them moving and help them work up a sweat. The key is to keep them active and help turn the tide of childhood obesity that is a problem nationwide, but especially in the South.
Marcus Johnson, director of marketing and public relations at Phoebe Sumter, is excited to have Pope has an acting partner to fight childhood obesity.
“Helping kids become more active will lead to healthier lifestyles down the road, and that is something that we all want to do because it will help the children live healthier and more productive lives,” said Johnson. “Phoebe Sumter will offer health screenings and other information during the event, and we hope that other organizations will join in as well.”
For more information on Pope’s Kids Day, call (229) 942-5173.
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Leonard Pope poses with local children outside of Phoebe Sumter Medical Center on Friday. Submitted photo
Pope visits with kids, hospital
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