27/08/2025
We're Proud to Celebrate 50 Years of Shepherd Center!
In 1975, Dr. David Apple Jr., medical director of the just-opened Shepherd Spinal Center, said he would run the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race if friends donated to the hospital. He finished the race, and a $100 check from George Johnson became the first donation from anyone not involved in the hospital’s founding. As the world-renowned rehabilitation facility celebrates its 50th anniversary, our connection with Shepherd Center has only grown deeper.
Over the years, we've partnered with Shepherd Center through the Peachtree's Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division, in which some of the best wheelchair athletes in the world have competed. At the course's halfway point, which was aptly named "Hope Hill" in 2025 to honor Shepherd Center's anniversary, Peachtree participants hear cheers from patients and staff members to boost them through one of the toughest parts of the course—creating one of the race's cherished traditions.
As a proud partner of Shepherd Center, we're thrilled to celebrate their 50th anniversary! For half a century, they've been at the forefront of rehabilitation care, research and family support, helping countless individuals and families rebuild their lives after injury or illness. We're excited to see what the next 50 years will bring!
Check out the Shepherd Center feature in the 2025 AJC Peachtree Road Race broadcast here: https://youtu.be/UXwSXVGnc3s
As Shepherd Center, a world-renowned rehabilitation facility located about halfway down the AJC Peachtree Road Race, celebrates its 50th anniversary, the con...
