Alpha Omicron Pi will be hosting a 5-kilometer run to heighten awareness about junior arthritis on Saturday at 11 a.m. at their house and around campus.
In 2008, the sisters of Alpha Omicron Pi decided to raise awareness about arthritis so they created this 5-kilometer run to encourage people in the community and on campus to participate. They have partnered with the Arthritis Foundation to help with their cause.
“We wanted to try something different,” said Rachel Wilkins, a junior and philanthropy chair of Alpha Omicron Pi. “Everyone in our sorority will be participating.”
Since the event started, there has been a growing interest in participants, Wilkins said.
“This event has been growing year to year, and we expect to have 400 to 500 people,” Wilkins said. “We have been planning this event since before spring break, and a lot of planning and thinking has gone into this.”
Morgan Butler, a sophomore and chair of Run for Roses, said registration will begin the day prior to the event, and will cost $20.
“Those who register will get a T-shirt and lunch sponsored by McAlister’s on Saturday,” Butler said. “We are very excited about this event.”
Butler said that all of the proceeds will go to the Arthritis Foundation.
Both Wilkins and Butler have friends who have arthritis and they would like for this issue to be addressed. A cure for arthritis has not yet been discovered.
Those who register on the day of the event will pay $25 but can still receive a T-shirt and lunch from McAlister’s. The top three finishers of the race will be awarded cash prizes.
The 5k run will take place during the sorority’s parent weekend. The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and lunch will start at 11:30 a.m. During the lunch portion of the event, a silent auction will be held to help with raising money.
“We are definitely trying to get sponsorship and donations, and we are talking to people in the community,” Butler said.
Chris Reilly, a sophomore and philanthropy chair of Delta Sigma Phi, believes the event helps raise awareness of the disease.
“This run is definitely for a good cause and a lot of people are helping,” Reilly said. “We get out what we put in and we are trying to help those in the community.”
The Arthritis Foundation, a non-profit organization, was founded in 1948 with the purpose of helping with more than 100 types of arthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation website.
The Foundation’s goal is not only to help those who live with arthritis, but also to raise money for research about arthritis. The Arthritis Foundation is the largest not-for-profit organization for arthritis in the world and has accumulated over $380 million in research funding since 1948, according to the Foundation’s website.
