Page 68 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2015

HEALTHY LIVING a fiTghting chance for every baby
he March of Dimes is holding a fundraiser, The Farmer and The Chef, on Thursday, November 5, at the Golden Nugget Casino that will pair farm-fresh products with local chefs. What began as a grassroots effort has grown into a four-course feast, benefitting the Mississippi
March of Dimes. Attendees of The Farmer and The Chef will be treated to farm- to-table creations such as grilled green tomato salad with pecan relish, beef short ribs with collards and root vegetable hash, and sweet potato cheesecake with blueberry compote and sabayon.
The evening will also honor Gulfport pediatrician Dr. Bryant McCrary as the Outstanding Physician of the Year. Dr. McCrary, who works for Memorial Physician Clinics, is board certified in pediatrics through the American Board of Pediatrics and served his residency as Chief Resident of Pediatrics at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock.
“He is a saint to me,” Jennifer Parker, March of Dimes Division Director for the Mississippi chapter, said of Dr. McCrary. “Every day I hear stories of people who say he has saved their child’s life, or their grandchild’s life. What a testimony his life is.”
McCrary remains humble about this praise. “Pediatrics is just a small part. There are many outstanding physicians doing excellent jobs in their areas,” he said. “It’s an honor to be recognized. I realize I’m a small cog in a big wheel, but nonetheless people who know me, and who have been under my care, know that I give 110 percent.”
THE FARMER
&
THE
CHEF
March of Dimes fundraiser brings chefs and farmers together
story by Lisa Kröger photos courtesy of Memorial Physician Clinics
McCrary said the programs that the March of Dimes support are “extremely valuable to those patients who need their services.” He ranks the organization next to places such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the impact they can have on children’s health and overall lives.
Representing those children who have been affected, the Jenkins family of Pass Christian will be presented as the March of Dimes ambassador family. Their story will be told as part of the evening’s events.
The mission of the March of Dimes has always been to educate, advocating giving every infant a fighting chance. Parker says this mission is an important
one. According to her, Mississippi has the highest rate of preterm babies, the highest rate of infant death before the child’s first birthday, and the
highest rate of unsafe sleep situations, making educating parents and caregivers a top priority. Traditionally, the organization has worked
with OB/GYNs and pediatricians to teach new parents healthy habits, as well as working with the general public through health fairs.
68 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • November 2015
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