LUC Fun Run

Saturday, April 11, marked the fourth annual LUC Fun Run, which aims to establish a campus event that is ad majorem Dei gloriam and generates school pride at Loyola, while simultaneously reminding us that, when we refer to “our neighbors,” the meaning should encompass not just those near to us and like ourselves, but also those across the ocean and around the world. Each year, the Fun Run begins at the Lake Short Campus and follows the Lakefront Trail, all the way to the downtown Water Tower Campus. Participants can choose whatever means of transportation they wish to traverse the 8-mile path, whether it is by running, biking, rollerblading, or skateboarding. Father Garanzini, the president of our university, has been a popular participant. He bikes the path.

In the past, all participant registration fees were designated for donation to Kids Caring 4 Kids, an organization benefiting a school in Kitwe, Zambia. However, this year, in order to encourage school spirit, 75 percent of proceeds have been allocated to go toward Kids Caring 4 Kids, with the remaining 25 percent going to the runner’s charity of choice: American Cancer Society, Circle of Sisterhood, or Agape/Ecclesia.

Together with its partner, Lifesong for Orphans, Kids Caring 4 Kids operates a school for more than 300 orphans and vulnerable children, from kindergarten through high school, encouraging and helping students to pursue higher education. With charitable donations, the school is able to provide for the academic curriculum, additionally providing two nutritious meals each day plus healthcare for all of the children.

This year, I worked at the sign-in table as volunteer and registered participants prior to the race. Unfortunately, I was not able to participate as a runner in this year’s Fun Run, but next spring, I plan to be there for sure, ready to walk, skip and hop those purposeful eight miles, along the beautiful shoreline of the lake, down to the Water Tower Campus where we shall celebrate with a sense of accomplishment for having walked, skateboarded, rollerbladed and biked—in service to others.

 

 

Image from: https://www.facebook.com/LUCFunRun/photos/a.1476691999258642.1073741827.1476677909260051/1523410834586758/?type=1&theater