Local teacher carries on his tradition of running up big donations for St. Jude

With so many needs and good causes striving to add to their bottom line at this season of the year, to some people it might seem like an insurmountable goal to raise $10,000.

But Bryant Mosbey is not “some people.” For more than a decade the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. teacher has been driven to support his favorite charity: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

On Dec. 2, the physical education teacher at Thompkins Middle School presented a check for $10,000 after running a half-marathon at St. Jude Marathon Weekend in Memphis, further solidifying his status as a St. Jude Hero.

For those who may not know, the mission of St. Jude is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family's ability to pay.

Mosbey, an Evansville native and graduate of Harrison High School and Indiana University, first became aware of St. Jude in 2007, his first year as a teacher.

One of his kindergarten students that year was diagnosed with a brain cancer, and Mosbey traveled to Memphis to visit her during treatment.

Not really knowing what to expect, he was stunned to find a place without the depressing atmosphere a facility full of sick children could have.

“It’s amazing what they have for children,” he said about the first time he paid a visit. “I just fell in love with the place.” He decided then and there that he would do what he could to support St. Jude.

Then a couple of years later it became even more personal when he met his wife-to-be, Alex Goad. Mosbey learned that her brother has died from cancer at an early age, and he pledged to his new family that he would be a life-long supporter and fund-raiser for St. Jude.

The teacher estimates that over the years he has raised more than $50,000 for the organization. The largest was in 2018 when he raised $15,000 as part of the St. Jude Boston Marathon Team.

One year when the annual St. Jude Memphis race was canceled he ran a full marathon on a treadmill in Evansville. “We raised a lot of money that day,” he said, while admitting that a treadmill race isn’t the ideal.

That’s because the special atmosphere Memphis race is hard to top.

“This is a race unlike any other,” Mosbey said. “It’s run through the campus at St. Jude and kids are out there with their families.

“It’s not about (getting the best race) time. It’s bigger than ourselves,” he added. “I get to high-five the kids and families and enjoy every step.”

Mosbey said he has seen a lot of stunning accomplishments by the hospital in just his time as a supporter. One he cites is a boy whose body was rejecting normal chemotherapy. A St. Jude doctor created an expensive custom chemo. But the recipient is now a “very happy, healthy young man.”

“St. Jude is 1,000 percent the real deal,” he said, noting that donors can be assured that 90 percent of contributions are being used toward patient care. “I really emphasize that people should feel comfortable about where their money is going.”

He said the proof is in the pudding since cancer survival rates have been climbing because of the research work of St. Jude. “You hope for the day that it doesn’t need to exist,” Mosbey said.

Family friend Amy Ritzert said Mosbey’s willingness to lend a hand goes beyond his support for St. Jude.

“He is forever the person to reach out to anyone in need,” she said. “It may be a student at Thompkins, (or) a school fundraiser. (He may) volunteer at his children’s school when they need someone to help give the other teachers a break …” She said he’s also been known to pick up a restaurant tab for an elderly person eating alone.

Mosbey and his wife, a teacher at Holy Redeemer, now have a 9-year-old daughter and twin 6-year-old boys. Their daughter has run one 5K with her dad and has operated a lemonade stand on behalf of St. Jude, Mosbey said.

“We haven’t fully passed the (fundraising) torch,” he said, “but we’ve got it lit. We do it because St. Jude can gain in the process.”

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville teacher Bryant Mosbey makes big donation to St. Jude