Photo by Aidan McGuire
A participant is cheered on at the finish line of the Humanity 5K.
By Aidan McGuire, News Editor
In its first year, the Humanity 5K at Moraine raised $32,000 towards creating a refugee scholarship fund at Moraine and a dialysis clinic in Ramallah, Palestine.
Early in the chilly morning of April 30, 273 community members, students, and faculty gathered outside the C building for the event, hosted by the Muslim Student Association in collaboration with the Refugee Life Foundation. The race raised more than $19,000 in sponsorships, $8,000 in registration fees, and $5,000 in donations before expenses were taken out.
Moraine cross country runner Jack Kajmowicz sprints to capture first place at the Humanity 5K.
“We were blessed to have so many volunteers come out. It was a wonderful inaugural event. I’m very proud,” said Refugee Life Foundation chairman Rush Darwish. “We called it Humanity 5k because when it’s all said and done, it’s really about humanity. It’s about understanding that there are people out there that need help.”
Some of those people include student refugees at Moraine.
“We have a lot of refugee students at Moraine Valley, and a lot of them can’t afford tuition,” Darwish said.
The event began with an opening ceremony and featured a DJ, face painting, and a massage table for runners post-race. In addition to the race, the Humanity 5K held a kids sprint for Palestine and a 1.5-mile walk.
MV student and cross-country team member Jack Kajmowicz was the overall top finisher in the race, with a time of 17:53.8.
“The course is pretty difficult technically, but I think it went pretty smoothly,” Kajmowicz said.
As the high wind speeds cut through the 45-degree air, race volunteers struggled to keep signage from blowing away. But despite the cold temperatures and the wind, people still joined together in fellowship to support the race.
“It was cold, it was windy, but everyone was here for the cause and they didn’t let the weather get to them,” Darwish said.
Gavin Hampton was the top finisher in the Male 17-19 category with a time of 18:02.8. He is also part of Moraine’s cross-country team.
“This is all well put together,” Hampton said. “I really like everything they did here. The food is really good, too.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.