Ole Miss, MSU Run Game Ball for Parkinson's Foundation, Food Drive

The run will take place Saturday (Nov. 22), beginning at 9 a.m. on the front steps of the Lyceum and ending at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts on University Avenue. Community members are invited to support the event by running or cheering from the sidelines. Donations may also be made here.

Following the run in the morning, Ole Miss cadets will drive to Calhoun City, where they will meet the Bulldogs, exchange the Egg Bowl game ball and drop off their canned food donation.

Alongside raising awareness for Parkinson's disease, the cadets are conducting a canned food drive for Calhoun City, the meeting point for the annual event.

"Although we're rivals on the field, we actually have a great relationship with Mississippi State ROTC," said Maj. Kris Urquhart, Ole Miss instructor of military science and leadership. "The Parkinson's Foundation reached out to them, and we wanted to support this event as well."

More than 10 million people globally live with Parkinson's disease, a degenerative neurological disorder in which brain cells gradually deteriorate. The Parkinson's Foundation is a nonprofit organization that works to improve quality of life for those with the disorder and support research for a cure.

Ashton Pearson Sr., former Ole Miss facilities management director, and Kathy Pearson started a local support group in April for survivors, caregivers and families who have been affected by Parkinson's. The support group meets every second Thursday at Oxford-University United Methodist Church.

"I've had Parkinson's for 12 years," Ashton Pearson Sr. said. "We want to bring awareness to the people in Mississippi who are dealing with this disease, and this is an opportunity for people here to see what we're doing."

Honorary runners are also welcome to walk or jog on behalf of friends, family members or others who have been affected by the disease.

"Ashton, our grandson, is going to be running on behalf of my husband," Kathy Pearson said. "It's a symbolic thing for us because so many people with Parkinson's as they progress and get older, can't walk or run. The symbolism is someone is running on your behalf."

The Egg Bowl Run began in 2013 as a way for Ole Miss and Mississippi State ROTC groups to raise money for good causes, including the Ole Miss Army ROTC Fund and the Rebel Battalion Cadet Activity Fund. The battalion's name has since been changed to the Magnolia Battalion in reference to the state's official flower and tree.

"We've been doing the canned food drive for a few years now," Urquhart said. "The fraternities and sororities on campus have really gotten into it. Last year, we had nearly two pallets of canned food to help people in Calhoun City around the holidays.

"It really shows that off the field, we're all on the same team."

For more information on the Parkinson's support group, contact Ashton Pearson Sr. at 662-801-7442. To donate for the Calhoun City food drive, bring any canned goods to Barnard Hall next to the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union by Friday (Nov. 21).

Top: Cadets from Ole Miss and Mississippi State meet at Calhoun City to pass off the Egg Bowl game ball ahead of the annual football game. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services