Manning Family Children’s CEO Dedicates 100 Mile Ultramarathon to Hospital’s Patients, Raising Awareness & Funds in Their Honor

Lou Fragoso, President and CEO of Manning Family Children’s, launches 100 miles. 100 kids. 1 mission. movement ahead of August Leadville Trail 100 Run, the most challenging ultramarathon in the U.S.

NEW ORLEANS – Today, Manning Family Children’s President and CEO, Lou Fragoso, announced he will participate in the Aug. 16 Leadville Trail 100 Run, one of the oldest and toughest ultramarathons in the world, and dedicate each of the 100 miles to a patient in an effort to raise more than $100,000 for the hospital’s mission. Through the 100 miles. 100 kids. 1 mission. movement, supporters can match a mile by donating $1,000 , or by committing to raise $1,000 through an easy peer-to-peer fundraising opportunity.

The multiple-day race will take Fragoso through the heart of the Rocky Mountains alongside athletes from across the globe, but Fragoso knows what it’s like to face tough challenges and to persevere. His passion for running and wellness is fueled by the courage and strength he sees in the patients cared for at Manning Family Children’s each day.

“This is all about the amazing kids we care for at Manning Family Children’s,” Fragoso says. “I am dedicating this run them. To honor their fight, their courage, to share their stories, to raise awareness and to remind us all that true endurance is not measured in miles, but in heart.”

For 70 years Manning Family Children’s has run toward the problems that impact kids as Louisiana’s only, freestanding comprehensive children’s hospital – delivering expert care for every child, every time, regardless of ability to pay. The 100 miles. 100 kids. 1 mission. campaign invites the community to run with the hospital – to join the movement by sharing the inspiring stories of patients and donating to support the hospital’s mission.

“Every day, our patients at Manning Family Children’s face their own mountains – battling cancer, sickle cell disease, undergoing bone marrow transplants, healing from trauma, learning to walk again after devastating injuries and recovering from complex heart surgery,” says Fragoso. “Our kids fight every day. But their races don’t come with medals or finish lines. They come with hospital beds, IV poles, therapy … and an unshakable will to keep going. They fight for every step, and I will fight for every step in Leadville to honor their courage and resilience.”

Learn more about the 100 miles. 100 kids. 1 mission. movement, how to become a match a mile partner and read the inspiring stories of patients at manningchildrens.org/100miles.

For 70 years, Manning Family Children’s has proudly served as Louisiana’s only, freestanding, comprehensive children’s hospital with more than 600 pediatric-trained providers and 3,000 employees solely dedicated to the care of kids. In addition to comprehensive services offered at its main campus in New Orleans, Children’s operates a robust network of more than 30 satellite locations, pediatric affiliations across Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and robust and long- community programs designed to meet the health needs of the diverse communities it serves. At the heart of its mission, Manning Family Children’s is committed to delivering expert care for every child, every time – regardless of the family’s ability to pay.

###

About Manning Family Children’s: Manning Family Children’s is a 263-bed, non-profit academic pediatric medical center that offers comprehensive healthcare services, including over 40 pediatric specialties, just for children. With more than 600 pediatric providers, Manning Family Children’s offers a comprehensive array of specialized pediatric services in Louisiana and the Gulf South. In addition to its main campus located in New Orleans, Children’s operates a network of specialty clinics across Louisiana, including in Covington, Baton Rouge, Alexandria, Lafayette, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Children’s offers primary care at 17 convenient locations, along with a network of statewide pediatric affiliations. Children’s is a proud member of LCMC Health, a Louisiana-based, not-for-profit hospital system which also includes New Orleans East Hospital, Touro, University Medical Center New Orleans, West Jefferson Medical Center, East Jefferson General Hospital, Lakeview Hospital, and Lakeside Hospital. Learn more at manningchildren’s.org.