Members of a South Salem High School club supporting future nurses, doctors, paramedics and other health care professionals hope to bring out runners for a fundraiser to help send two students to a national competition. HOSA-Future Health Professionals is a national program with local chapters at South Salem and Sprague high schools that hosts annual state and national competitions. The South club wants to raise $500 to cover what it will cost to send the students and their chaperones to nationals.  To help meet that goal, club leaders decided to put on a fun run, Run for Roses 5K, on Sunday, May 3, at 9:30 a.m. in Bush’s Pasture Park, 890 Mission St. S.E. The deadline to register for the race is April 30. Racers can register for $25 here. Volunteers can register here. One of those benefitting from the money raised is sophomore Mason Leeper. Leeper is headed to nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana this June to complete in health policy writing. In March, the club sent 32 students to the state competition in Portland to compete in a series of skills, like CPR and first aid, drawing blood and medical terminology. Until now, only one South student has gone to nationals. Leeper has been in the HOSA club since his freshman year. He is currently serving as its treasurer and is vying to be president next year. He chose to do the writing competition because he enjoys argumentative writing, and felt it fit his interest in legislative and policy issues.  The confident-speaking 15-year-old said he’s considering law, politics or the health care field as potential avenues for a future career.  “I just know I want to help people, and so whatever way I can do that – if that’s the medical field, or policy, or anything related to that – my goal is to help people in life,” he said.  In the state competition, Leeper was given a bill being considered in the Oregon Legislature. The topic was on whether nurse practitioners could use “doctor” in their title, Leeper said.  He was given 60 minutes to research and write the paper. He placed first in the category, securing his ticket to nationals.  “Everyone was standing and cheering and taking pictures,” said teacher Megan Holman, the club’s adviser, on the win at state. “It was like a proud, definitely proud moment for us. Their hard work paid off and you can see the surprise on their face,” she said. Megan Holman talks with HOSA students. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter) Holman is a fourth-year health services teacher at South. On top of advising and teaching full time, she trains in the National Guard one weekend each month and is deployed around every four to five years. The South Salem club has over 40 members from all grade levels. The group meets every other Thursday to go over announcements, discuss upcoming events and practice skills for the annual competitions.  Holman describes the students as tight-knit and noncompetitive. At state, students stayed in hotel rooms and were asked to only leave in groups of three. Instead, she said students often left in groups of five or six, saying, “Three? That’s so small.” Limited funds mean the two national qualifiers are paying out of pocket to travel east with their families. The club can only pay the registration fees for a student and one parent or guardian going to nationals, Holman said. Anything left over will cover fees remaining from this year’s state competition and support next year’s students. Leeper plans to go to nationals with his dad, and possibly his mom. Being a sophomore, he isn’t putting too much pressure on himself for the competition. “(I’m) sort of just jumping in head first, seeing what’s gonna happen, and have fun. Hopefully I do well, but if not, I really am excited just to go and experience it,” he said. Leeper is also considering running in the 5K, but hasn’t signed up yet.  Holman hopes to make the roses race an annual event.  Like club meetings, the fundraiser is student-powered, with many of the racers and volunteers being students. So far, 38 people are slated to race and 24 more are planning to volunteer, many of whom are students. The club needed 35 racers to break even on what it cost it to set up the race.  A sign for the Run for Roses 5K is displayed on Megan Holman’s classroom door. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter) Holman expects the race will bring in more money than the other fundraisers the club has done.  “Even if all else fails and we don’t make the money, as long as people can feel the sense of community at South, that’s a win for us,” Holman said. The top three winners of the race will be given rose trophies made by South’s manufacturing students. Students are also helping make shirts and market the race.  Signs for the race can be found in nearly every hallway at South, including the door of Holman’s classroom. Now with four years under her belt, she is preparing to graduate her first full cohort of students.  “To see them mature and make plans for college and after school – It’s been amazing. I even joke, ‘I’m gonna cry when you guys graduate.’ Like, I don’t have children, but I imagine this is what it feels like to be so proud of them to accomplish that. So that’s been just incredible,” Holman said.  Contact reporter Hailey Cook: [email protected]. SIGN UP: Salem Reporter is dedicated to covering the people, issues, and stories that shape our community. Stay connected to Salem. Subscribe today. The post South Salem health career club organizes fun run as students prepare for national competition appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less