Holgorsen, players gear up for inaugural Walk the Talk
A weekend that was set for football and dedications to both WVU Medicine Children’s and the Hoss Foundation has undergone a slight change.
Due to impending wintry weather, Saturday’s Gold-Blue spring game was canceled, leaving questions as to how it would impact the inaugural Walk the Talk with West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen along with two other races that are scheduled for Saturday morning.
“Immediately Jeff (Hostetler) got over to the football offices because we were concerned how it would impact the walk,” Event Manager Jamie Summerlin said. “We didn’t want it to take a hit.”
Without the spring game taking place in the afternoon, this left an opportunity for the entire team to get involved in the event Saturday morning.
“We talked to Dana and Alex (Hammond) and got to brainstorming and Jeff suggested the idea that the entire WVU football team could participate in the event and it would be exciting because people would have the chance to interact and engage with all of the players,” Summerlin said.
This proposal immediately won over Holgorsen.
“Dana jumped all over it and embraced this,” Summerlin said.
The relationship between the West Virginia football program and WVU Medicine Children’s is one that has existed for many years and has grown as a result of WVU Medicine Children’s partnership with the Hoss Foundation according to Ashley Olczak, the Special Program and Corporate Campaign Director for Children's Miracle Network at WVU Medicine Children’s.
Former West Virginia quarterback Jeff Hostetler and his wife, Vicky, founded the Hoss in order help meet the needs of children and/or families facing hardships.
“The relationship that exists has been growing vastly because of our partnership with the Hoss Foundation,” Olczak said. “Jeff and Vicky Hostetler have been working with us to try and find a way to make the best impact on the hospital and they helped us create the Family Resource Center.”
The Jeff and Vicky Hostetler Family Resource Center was dedicated on Aug. 8, 2017 and serves as both an escape and valuable system for families according to Olczak.
The Hostetler’s have had ties to the hospital for a long time and all three of Jeff and Vicky’s sons have received treatment from a children’s hospital during certain points in their lives according to WVUMedicine.org. One of Hostetler’s sons, Jason, is currently the Program Coordinator for the Family Resource Center.
“They created an endowment for the Family Resource Center. Half these patients come from past flatwoods,” Olczak said. “They come from Bluefield, West Virginia and they’re here for a very long amount of time because we have specialty care at the hospital. So the family resource center is there to aid the families.”
Perhaps the greatest impact the football program has on WVU Medicine Children’s is when players take the time to visit patients at the hospital.
“Those kids light up when the players come in,” Olczak said. “It’s like bringing them their most prized possession into the room. They feel so special because one of those student-athletes took time out of the day to come see them.”
Former West Virginia players Kyle Bosch and Dale Wolfley have especially helped strengthen the relationship between the football program and WVU Medicine Children’s through service and raising money.
Future plans and events to further strengthen the relations between the football program and WVU Medicine Children’s are in the works, but for now, the focus lies within giving the community and West Virginia fans an opportunity to interact with the players they come to watch on Saturday’s.
“Everybody gets excited for the fan day and going out to see the players, so this will be great and something we didn’t anticipate happening,” Summerlin said. “But this will add a new level of excitement to it all and people will have a chance to talk with the players.”
Walk the Talk Notes:
-People can still register for the event at WalkTheTalkWithDana.com--$35 and shirts are included.
-Those participating are to meet at 7 a.m. for pre-registration in the practice facility and parking is at the law school.
-Race and walk starts and goes up by the Law School Hill and President Gordon Gee’s house. The walk comes back through behind Oakland and has an extra loop down Patteson. People can make their way in front of the hospital to get cheered on and then go down the west side tunnel of the stadium and finish on Mountaineer Field where people can see themselves on the media board.
-This race is the first-ever to finish on Mountaineer Field.
-Mountaineer Dash for kids under 12 years old will begin at 10 a.m. with an obstacle course.
