What started as an idea inspired by an ad in Texas Medicine has transformed into a long-running health event for local children and families: Brownsville’s annual Jump-a-Thon, made possible by the local medical alliance.
Initiated in 2018, the free event was born out of Brownsville Medical Alliance (BMA) President Rebecca Garcia’s desire to bring preventive health education and wellness resources to her community, particularly to families in low-income areas.
BMA is just one of many chapters of the TMA Alliance (TMAA), a community of spouses and partners of physicians, along with physicians, resident physicians, medical students.
Ms. Garcia, who manages medical billing for her husband, pathologist Luis Garcia, MD, says she became determined to share health information with Brownsville locals after witnessing many of her husband’s patients receive diagnoses of preventable diseases – and reading about TMA’s numerous community outreach programs in the association’s magazine, Texas Medicine.
“[The Brownsville Alliance] can’t treat patients; that’s up to our [partners],” Ms. Garcia said. “But we can try our best to help the community lead healthier lives, starting with the kids. That’s our mission.”
Ms. Garcia knew she wanted BMA to host its own outreach event – but didn’t just stop at a one-time event or with one program. With a hiatus in 2020 and 2021, when the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Jump-a-Thon has featured TMA’s outreach programs for six years – Hard Hats for Little Heads, Texas BookShare, and much more.
Each year, local children from the Brownsville Summer Recreation Program are bused, courtesy of the city, to the Sports Park Center in Brownsville, which features information booths, interactive games – and a whole lot of physical activity, including jumping.
Over the course of the event, kids receive free jump ropes, helmets courtesy of the Hard Hats giveaway program, and books complimentary of Texas BookShare. This year, the Jump-a-Thon gifted children:
44 helmets;
343 books in English and Spanish;
200 backpacks filled with school supplies courtesy of the Cameron-Willacy Medical Society; and
44 bicycles donated from local physicians and members of the Cameron-Willacy County Medical Society, and three donated by local medical leaders.
The heart of the Jump-a-Thon is education. The event regularly features participants that share health information with children, including the inaugural presentation of Alta Care Foundation and MD Anderson Cancer Center and local physicians, educators, and political representatives. Stations have included diabetes prevention tips, bullying information, and drug awareness talks from medical and subject matter professionals, among other topics.
Rep. Janie Lopez (R-San Benito), who attended this year’s Jump-a-Thon and provided motivational bracelets to each child in attendance, appreciates BMA for hosting the back-to-school event.
“The bracelets were a small gift with a big message – to remind them they’re capable, resilient, and never alone, no matter what challenges come their way,” Representative Lopez told alliance members during the event.
“It's more than just a fun get-together. For us, it’s a grassroots endeavor that strengthens medicine’s relationship with our community,” Ms. Garcia said. “I’m really proud of how far we’ve come. I know that we make an impact.”
Funded by the TMA Foundation and generous donations from physicians, TMA outreach programs are committed to improving the health of communities at little or no cost. TMA provides individuals who host these programs with promotional materials, merchandise, and educational handouts, as well as matching helmet and book donations. Contact Swathi Narayanan for information on Hard Hats for Little Heads, and Pam Udall for Texas BookShare.
The Texas Medical Association Foundation is able to fund TMA’s Hard Hats for Little Heads program in 2025 with major support from an anonymous TMA/TMAA member donor couple’s matching grant, as well as from Lee Ann Pearse, MD, the McCallum Family Foundation, the Texas Neurological Society, and gifts from physicians and their families.