Drawing in the large running community and supporting child abuse prevention, Kappa Delta Sorority hosted its 17th annual Shamrock Run 5K last Saturday.
Eighty percent of the proceeds from the 5K benefited LeeSCAN Special Deliveries, a local nonprofit, and 20 percent benefited Prevention of Child Abuse America, a national committee, both supporting the prevention of child abuse and helping young mothers.
"(I chose this race) for March because it benefits children," said Gigi Stokes, who ran with her dog Haley. "And I'm Irish."
More than 795 runners pre-registered and more than 100 signed up on the day of the event, said Brittany Rickert, junior in communication and one of the coordinators of the event.
Stokes said her goal for this year is to compete each month and improve her time.
"Personally I was abused as a child," Stokes said. "Anything to prevent (child abuse), I'm all for it."
Two young mothers spoke with Kappa Delta members in their chapter room about Special Deliveries and how the organization took them under their wing to care for their children, Rickert said.
"It put faces with the organization," Rickert said. "It makes it a very real and worthwhile cause."
Event coordinator Courtney Brunson said she and Rickert had been planning the 5K since January.
"It's almost like running a business," Brunson said. "We coordinated the sorority's 200 members, all the runners and the sponsors."
Brunson said each member of the sorority had a job, whether it be on the food committee, registration table or cheer line.
The overall male winner and member of Auburn's triathlon club, Jeremy Winter, said he entered the 5K to prepare for the upcoming season and to support the charity.
"If I'm going to pay to run, it should go to something good," Winter said. Winter's finishing time was 16:30, and the overall female winner was Emily Ansick. One of Kappa Delta's advisers, Edith Jones, commended Rickert and Brunson for being the most organized and motivated women she knows.
Jones said Brunson has always been interested in community service projects such as the Shamrock Run.
"For spring break I am going on a mission trip," Brunson said. Brunson said unlike taking the normal spring break trip to the beach, she will travel to Nicaragua with an organization called Frontier Horizon to take 6,000 pounds of clothes and supplies to orphanages.
For more information about Kappa Delta or Special Deliveries, contact Courtney Brunson at 2682312.
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