Ginger Groff Run/ Walk raises money for kids with cancer

By Jen Martin

The Ninth Annual Ginger Groff Memorial 5k Run/Walk was held at the College on Sunday, Nov. 17. The Kids in the Community (KIC) Student Directed Learning Community (SDLC) organized the walk. The event, which benefits the American Cancer Society’s Camp Can-Do, reflects the mission of the SDLC, which is "to provide programming for area children and run events that will benefit local charities." Members of the house include Rebecca Hasslehan, Adrienne Kennedy, Jennifer Reeve and Cami Wade.

Camp Can-Do gives over 100 children with cancer the opportunity to attend and experience summer camp each August. The ultimate goal of the camp is to have the children return home more confident, hopeful and reassured with a renewed strength to deal with the course of their illness.

The cost to sponsor each child is about $500. This is paid for solely through contributions made to the American Cancer Society from events like the Ginger Groff Walk and individual donations.

The Walk began nine years ago in honor of Ginger Groff, former director of the Health Center at the College. Groff sponsored many programs and educational activities to benefit students. The walk is held each year in her memory, and the contribution she made to the College.

The KIC SDLC began planning for the Run/Walk in September. One of the biggest obstacles they faced was the plotting of a course. While in the past the local fire and police departments "have allowed participants to use some of the roads in town, this year they restricted the runners to campus," according to KIC house member Wade. For this reason, a new course needed to be created.

Aside from this task, many administrative jobs needed to be completed. According to Wade, these included soliciting local businesses to donate prizes and money, ordering food for the runners, collecting money, designing T-shirts and organizing registration.

This year’s Run/Walk brought in about 150 participants. One hundred of these were pre-registered; the remaining 50 registered the day of the event. "The numbers are slightly lower than previous years," said Wade, as a result of the rainy, cold weather on the day of the Run/Walk.

Wade was happy with the outcome of the event however. There were "no complaints," she said. "Everyone was happy with the course. All the people who pre-registered attended and everything went very smoothly."

The KIC SDLC plans several other annual events in addition to the Ginger Groff Run/Walk. A pen-pal program between college students and second graders at East High Elementary is one example. Another, according to Wade, is a clothing drive held at the end of each semester to benefit children. The SDLC also participates in the Into the Street’s Activities Fun Fair and Homecoming.