Local NYC Marathon runner raises largest donation in The Bell Center’s 40-year history

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When Birminghamian Hunter Smith crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon on November 3, 2024, it wasn’t just the end of a grueling 26.2-mile race—it was the culmination of a deeply personal journey.

Supported by his friends, family and coworkers at Protective, Hunter raced as a BellRunner in honor of his son, who was born with a rare genetic disorder and received early intervention services at The Bell Center. Fueled by love and a desire to give back, Hunter successfully completed the iconic New York City Marathon and raised the single largest fundraising gift by one person in the Bell Center’s 40-year history.

Meet the Smith family

On June 28, 2021, Hunter and Mary Morgan Smith celebrated the birth of their firstborn son, Walker. From the get-go, the Smiths realized something wasn’t quite typical; Walker had come a couple of weeks early, was very small and was missing the loud, distinctive newborn cry.

After a challenging first year, doctors discovered that Walker had a rare genetic disorder called Wiedemann-Steiner Sydrome (WSS), which can pose challenges to physical health and cause developmental delays in feeding, speech, cognitive abilities and motor skills.

Through their doctors at Children’s of Alabama, the Smith family was connected with The Bell Center, a Birmingham-based early intervention center that has provided important therapy services for infants and toddlers with special needs for 40 years. At The Bell Center, Walker was provided with the physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and special education resources he needed.

“It’s hard to put our experience with The Bell Center into words. The growth that we saw in Walker was invaluable, both during his time there and still to this day.

Before we were introduced to the organization, our journey was very disaggregated; we’d go to one therapist here and another therapist there. The Bell Center does an unbelievable job of bringing all of those resources and disciplines into one cohesive environment.”

Hunter Smith

Running the New York City Marathon on behalf of The Bell Center

Through their connection with The Bell Center, the Smiths learned about the BellRunner program; an initiative designed to motivate and support runners who agree to train, run and fundraise in honor of a specific child receiving therapy at The Bell Center.

When organizers at the BellRunner program reached out to let the Smiths know they had an available BellRunner spot in the 2024 New York City Marathon, Hunter didn’t hesitate.

“With two young kids, I didn’t have time to exercise consistently for the past couple years. Even so, I knew that the New York City Marathon was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the chance to support The Bell Center along the way made it even more attractive.”

Hunter Smith

For months, Hunter trained for the big race while promoting his fundraising journey to friends, family members and coworkers at Protective.

“It meant a lot that my coworkers at Protective donated to the fundraising campaign; but beyond that, I had so many coworkers check in on my training on a weekly basis. Knowing that I had that support and encouragement from my community really helped me push through those hard training days.”

Hunter Smith

Before he knew it, race day was here. After several grueling hours, Hunter approached the finish line, cheered on by an endless crowd of supporters cheering his name.

“As BellRunners, we each wore a picture of the kids that we were running on behalf of on our singlets. With about a mile to go, I took mine off and held the picture of Walker in my hand. When I crossed that finish line, it felt like Walker and I were finishing together.”

Hunter Smith

Hunter raised the single largest donation in The Bell Center’s 40-year history

After the dust had settled, The Bell Center revealed that Hunter’s fundraising efforts had collected a total of $30,810 from 95 different donors—the single largest fundraising gift by one person in the Bell Center’s 40-year history.

“We had several people who donated jaw-dropping amounts of money, but I was just as encouraged by the number of people who would give $10 or $20.

To think that people wanted to participate in the fundraising in any way they could was such an encouragement and a great way to get more people connected to The Bell Center.”

Hunter Smith

In addition to Hunter’s fundraising efforts, the Protective Life Foundation—the charitable arm of Hunter’s employer, Protective Life—supports The Bell Center with an annual donation.

“As a former Bell Center parent, Hunter’s dedication to TBC is an inspiration, and we are beyond grateful for the time, energy, and resources he invested in making this possible.

We are incredibly grateful for Protective’s longstanding support of The Bell Center and Hunter’s outstanding fundraising achievement – the single largest fundraising gift by one person in our 40-year history.”

Jeannie Colquett, Executive Director, The Bell Center

Do you have a personal connection to Hunter or The Bell Center? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know!

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Protective refers to Protective Life Corporation and insurance company subsidiaries, Protective Life Insurance Company (Omaha, NE) and Protective Life and Annuity Insurance Company (Birmingham, AL). Protective is a registered trademark of Protective Life Insurance Company.