Meagan Drabik, a Salve Junior involved with the races. Media Credit: Brittany Lauro
By Brittany Lauro-
Make sure those laces are tied tight Newporters!
Newport will be hosting not one, but two walks this weekend!
The first is the 13th Annual 5k Mansion Run and Walk this Saturday, September 22, 2012 at 8:30 a.m.
The course starts and finishes on Salve’s very own campus and includes a vigorous run (or a leisurely stroll) through Newport’s beloved Bellevue Ave, where participants will experience the spectacular sites of Gilded Age mansions and waterfront views.
Proceeds from the run and walk support “Friends of Seahawk Athletics”, made up of Salve alumni, parents and friends who are enthusiastic and supportive of the athletic teams and take pleasure in contributing towards the efforts of maintaining such teams.
Registration for the run (or walk, for those less athletically inclined) is $20 per individual or $15 for current students and will be held at Rodgers Recreation Center at 7 a.m. on race-day.
The race consists of prizes, so bring those running sneakers and game faces. $150 will be awarded to the first-place winner, while the second-place winner will receive $100, and the third-place winner $50.
Do not be discouraged, however, if you seem to lack the Lee Evans gene, because trophy awards will be dispersed to the top finishers in each age group.
The 5k Mansion Run and Walk is held rain or shine, so make sure to get to Rodger’s Recreation Center on time to begin your day of athleticism!
The second run being held this weekend is the 2012 Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s this Sunday, September 23, 2012 at Ochre mansion located on Salve’s campus.
The walk, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, is the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s support, research, and care. It is held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide and serves as a portal for those who wish to help the cause in any way possible.
All proceeds and funds raised from the walk benefit support and care efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association, which allocates its funds in “an ethical and responsible manner that exceeds the rigorous standards of America’s most experienced charity evaluator, the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance,” states the association’s website. The ultimate goal of the association is to end Alzheimer’s, the sixth-leading cause of death worldwide.
Meagan Drabik, a Junior Photography major at Salve, has been a participant of the walk for six years and is a team captain this year. As a team captain, Drabik is responsible for recruiting a team of family, friends and coworkers, as well as helping them fundraise and keeping them motivated.
“Alzheimer’s is in my family,” states Drabik, “the walk has helped me to learn more about the disease and understand it more so now I know the symptoms, I’ve helped people raise awareness and I’ve helped people spread knowledge of the disease.”
Using the vision of a world without Alzheimer’s as pure incentive, the association’s mission is to enhance support for all those affected and to ultimately eliminate the disease through the advancement of research.
To help the cause make sure you visit www.act.alz.org to sign up as an individual or just to make a donation. Every registered participant receives a free T-shirt after reaching the minimum fundraising goal.
“It’s a wonderful cause and it really does help people suffering from the disease,” states Drabik.
