Around 35 participants donated money and ran or walked down Lakeshore Path from the Natatorium to support refugees Sunday.
UW-Madison’s chapter of the Lambda Theta Phi fraternity collaborated with the Dane County Chapter of the United Nations Association to hold the first “Run for Refugees” 5-kilometer race. Lambda President Jesus Del Toro said the organizations came up with the idea for the event in order to talk about the refugee crisis that has been overshadowed in the media during the presidential election season.
“It’s something we thought of as a good way to raise funds and get young people involved in a way for them to kind of learn and be aware of the whole crisis,” Del Toro said.
Around 35 participants finished the 5K. Miriam Cooke, an expert scholar on the refugee crisis in the Middle East from Duke University, met with the runners and walkers at the end to discuss her knowledge on the topic at the end of the 5K.
The goal was to earn $3,000 from participation fees, which the groups will donate to the UNA’s World Food Programme. Del Toro said they had not reached that goal prior to the event, but the groups were still proud of the work they have done.
“Anything we can raise is fine,” Del Toro said. “Whatever amount we make today, at least we managed to get something. We'll donate that to the World Food Programme, which will allocate the money as needed. It's reliable and deals with the issues at hand.”
