In an effort to raise money for their annual Dance Marathon to be held April 4 Saint Mary's College held a 5K run/1 mile fun walk called "Trot for Tots".
The event kicked off Saturday at 9 a.m. with about 60 participants, special events committee chair Caitlin Murphy said. Students, faculty, and members of the South Bend community all took part, Murphy said.
The walk, which was held on Saint Mary's campus and on trails northwest of campus, raised over $500 and long-sleeve T-shirts will be on sale this week for $10, Murphy said. According to Murphy, the real reward was the community involvement.
"Looking at the monetary amount is a great indicator," Murphy said. "But also as I looked through the registration forms people had indicated various ways in which they heard about it. There was quite a bit of community involvement."
The event was held to help raise awareness for Dance Marathon in the community and it accomplished its goal, she said.
Some may have wondered why the event was not held earlier in the year when the weather was warmer, Murphy said. However, the event was held in the spirit of thanksgiving, and so held just before the holiday, she said.
"In my home town, we have huge turnouts for turkey trots and so that is how we angled the date for this first annual 5K to benefit Riley Hospital for Children," Murphy said."
The weather may have been cold, but the participants were upbeat, Murphy said.
"Everyone was really excited to be there," Murphy said. "It was a bit chilly and windy, but everyone was ready to go with lots of smiles."
Keeping with the theme of Dance Marathon, everything is done "for the kids." The children of Riley Hospital were in everyone's thoughts the morning of the race.
"It's hard to not to get excited about these kind of things; we are doing it for the kids at Riley Hospital, for Children who may not be able to take advantage of these events so we can't complain about the cold weather," Murphy said.
Senior Emily Bernath participated in the race.
"I ran Trot for Tots because I love 5K races I think they're a lot of fun," she said.
She said that this fundraiser was better than some other Dance Marathon fundraisers because people got to do something in addition to giving money.
"You weren't just donating money you were doing something that benefits yourself and others," she said.
Katie Ciresi, a freshman member of the Dance Marathon community marketing committee also ran the 5k race with a friend who is not on the committee.
I was involved with the dance marathon at my high school ... I just think it's a really important cause," Ciresi said.
So far, Dance Marathon has held their signature "Charity Denim" event, as well as a date auction, and recently had members travel to see Indiana University's Dance Marathon to see how Indiana ran its event.
Trot for Tots added to the fundraising success.
"I think it was a great success," Murphy said.
Mandi Stirone contributed to this article.
