Jackson Community College

Ventilator Race to help raise funds for camp for kids with asthma

Respiratory care students and therapists from around the area will be racing to raise funds for Camp Michi-MAC in a “5K” Ventilator Race at noon Friday, Oct. 24, at Jackson Community College. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m.

To commemorate National Respiratory Care Week, Oct. 19-25, this ventilator race will feature both JCC respiratory care students and respiratory therapists from Allegiance Health participating.  Teams will race around the front circle drive of Justin Whiting Hall pushing ventilator machines, and there will be prizes for the race winner, best decorated vent and more.  Individuals or groups may sponsor a team per lap (one lap equals one “kilometer”) or for the total race, five laps. 

For the ventilator race, individuals may sponsor a team for one lap (each lap equals one “kilometer”) or five laps for the total race. To make a pledge, please contact race coordinator Brooke Losey, a JCC student, at b_keely@hotmail.com, or Instructor Ann Flint at 517.796.8684, or FlintAnnM@jccmi.edu.

Camp Michi-MAC is conducted at the YMCA Storer Camp, located in the Irish Hills, which covers 1,200 acres surrounding spring fed Stony Lake, near Jackson. Campers can have a “regular” camp experience because the medical team, who are on site 24-hours a day, understands asthma and allergies, triggers and proper treatment. The medical staff includes physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists.

Respiratory Care Week is celebrated annually on the last full week in October. In conjunction with this event, Lung Health Day is observed on Wednesday of the week in order to bring lung health issues to the attention of the public. Respiratory care is an allied health profession whose practitioners focus on diagnosis and treatment of cardiopulmonary disorders and diseases. The mission of Respiratory Care Week is to:

• Honor and thank respiratory care professionals for their contributions;
• Demonstrate the value of respiratory care professionals in all healthcare settings;
• Promote respiratory health in the workplace and the community;

• Increase awareness of lung health issues in all environments;
• Educate and encourage prospective students about career opportunities and growth of the profession.