Infants Remembered In Silence hosts fundraising 5K run and walk
Child Development Students Miranda Neher and Jennifer Blom
For the second Thanksgiving in a row, Infants Remembered in Silence, or IRIS, held a 5K run and walk called the Turkey Trot. This year, two students from the DCTC Child Development program, Miranda Neher, 20, and Jennifer Blom, 20, took part in the Turkey Trot, which took place Thursday, Nov. 25, 2010, in Faribault, Minn., and attracted more than 1,200 participants and supporters.
Miranda Neher brought along her father, her sister, Natasha, 15, and Willow, her Pembroke Welsh Corgi. “It was freezing the day of the event,” Neher said, “but we had a wonderful time supporting a great cause.” A resident of Burnsville, Minn., Neher started earning an A.A.S. degree in child development fall semester 2010. She is looking forward to working as a preschool teacher or managing an in-home daycare center.
She noted that the Turkey Trot is a fulfilling and effective way to raise awareness about infant and early childhood mortality, including fatalities in early pregnancy or from stillbirth, premature birth, birth defects, sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, illness, accidents and other causes.
2nd Annual Turkey Trot Goals
- LET’S WALK TOGETHER to ensure that the important services IRIS provides are continued
- LET’S WALK TOGETHER to raise awareness
- LET’S WALK TOGETHER to support one another
- LET’S WALK TOGETHER to remember our precious babies
- LET’S WALK TOGETHER to give thanks for the imprint such tiny lives have on our hearts
- LET’S WALK TOGETHER as friends
- LET’S WALK TOGETHER for hope
—courtesy of Deanna Kuennen, Turkey Trot Organizer and IRIS Mom
A graduate of Northfield High School, Jennifer Blom is pursuing an A.S. degree in child development with plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or child life at a four-year institution, possibly the University of Wisconsin-Stout. While going to college, she works as a substitute teacher at Northfield Montessori. Her career goals include life as a preschool teacher or as the owner and manager of a daycare center.
“The IRIS Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving was such a rewarding experience for me,” said Blom, who walked with her mom and Tracy Humann, director of Northfield Montessori. “I am so glad I participated. I got to meet Deanna Kuennen, the event’s organizer, and her family. She told me the story about how the Turkey Trot got started.”
Blom reported that the Kuennens lost two family members, Hope and Gus, to premature death. “But they are now raising two beautiful children, Josie and Rowan,” she added.
Both Neher and Blom greatly enjoyed their Turkey Trot experience. They encourage anyone who can to participate next Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. “Support is what families need when a child is lost,” Blom said. “I’m happy I got the chance to help raise funds for IRIS and the families it supports.”
For more information about Infants Remembered in Silence, Inc., please visit:
For more information about the DCTC Child Development program, visit:
- Child Development Blog
- Child Development Degrees, Certificates and Diplomas
Or contact:
- Jill Behnke
Child Development Instructor
651-423-8398
BIO
- Dawn Braa
Child Development Instructor
651-423-8315
BIO
