Last week’s Saturday morning, Duke’s Alphi Phi Omega Fraternity sponsored and led a 5K event for CEF. Before the event, APO members and a couple of CEF advocates worked hard on spreading the word and getting donations and registrations throughout Duke’s campus. While some students were happy to just donate, others were looking forward to spending a Saturday morning with a nice workout.

Upon arriving at the main sign-in table, I was surprised to see so many people getting pumped for the 5K. It was Duke’s parent’s weekend, so even parents were sporting their running wear and warming up for the long run. The weather was sunny, although a bit chilly, but everyone was ready to go! We all took a picture at the starting line, and began the run after the hallmark “Ready,Set,GO!”. Some participants immediately sprinted while others took it easy with a walk.

The course started from the field hockey stadium and circled all around Duke’s East campus. As runners, we were instructed to run it twice to complete the 5K. I’m not such a great runner myself, but it was great to be doing it alongside other people who could motivate me to keep going.  At the end, we all met up back at the sign-in table to eat some snacks and grab Google android toys and sunglasses as souvenirs.

Afterwards, I talked to Carlton Adams, a CEF-Durham advocate for Alliance Architecture and APO fraternity brother. He told me how once he mentioned CEF to APO, his co-ed fraternity dedicated to service, they were very willing to name CEF as their non-profit for the semester. A committee of 10 APO members worked on publicizing, tabling, marking paths, purchasing food, getting music, and getting logistics ready for the event.  CEF advocates also participated through tabling,donating, telling friends, and running the 5K. In all, APO raised $300, and 70 runners participated in the 5K. The event was a success, and was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

As a CEF advocate, I think it is awesome that other organizations such as APO are invested in supporting CEF by fundraising and spreading CEF’s name, and am thankful of their efforts.