The Kinesiology Student Association, or KSA, served the community in pairs this weekend. The group held its annual 5K fundraiser Sunday to benefit two local charities.
The “Run with a Buddy” 5K fundraiser took place at 8:30 a.m. on the Quad. KSA is a large student organization aimed at spreading knowledge of activity and fitness to the local community.
Each year, the KSA’s 5K has a theme, explained Vita Wu, member of the KSA’s community outreach board and junior in AHS.
“We first had the idea for people to run with their dogs,” Wu said. “The problem was that not everybody has a dog. So then we came up with ‘Run with a Buddy,’ so people without animals could run with friends or family members.”
The money raised from the race will be donated to the Crisis Nursery of Champaign County and the Champaign Humane Society.
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“We couldn’t just choose one place to donate this year,” Wu said.
She said they normally solely donate to one organization. Wu added that after choosing the theme, the Humane Society just seemed to fit, as many dogs would be running with their owners. Many people in the club also volunteer at the Crisis Nursery.
Over 100 participants were registered to race before the event and more people registered on the Quad the day of the event. It was $18 to register for the race, which included a free T-shirt and goody bag. Jane Reid, 5K runner, said she attended the event because she wanted to contribute to its causes.
“Most races have a component that helps out an agency,” Reid said. “I normally take into account the charity when I choose races to run, and I was really enthusiastic about these causes.”
The KSA split the race into four groups: runners, walkers, people with dogs and people with strollers. The winner of each category won a prize.
Although most participants ran the race, not everybody had to run. Many of the participants who did not run stood alongside the course, cheering on the runners.
Melissa Horgan, fundraising chair for the KSA and junior in LAS, said how much they donate will depend on how much they raise.
They are set to donate a base amount of $1,000 overall, giving $500 to each charity. If they exceed that goal, they will split proceeds equally between the charities.
