On April 27, for the 8th year in a row, The MacDuffie School held the Run For Hope. Every year that this event takes place a different charity is picked and the money raised from the run goes to the charity. This year the school voted on a charity called Disabled American Veterans (DAV) which aims to assist veterans and allow them to live “high-quality lives.”

48 people participated in the 5K run this year— students, teachers and other friends of the MacDuffie community. Junior Daiki Akita was the fastest male this year and Cathy Beck was the fastest female. Akita finished with a time of 20:37 and Beck finished with a time of 22:27.

The Run For Hope is a an all day event that is not only for the runners but also for the borders that live at school. The boarders can come down and support the runners, take pictures, and just enjoy the day with everybody. There is also a BBQ lunch that follows the run.

Every runner starts with a plain white t-shirt and as the race goes on volunteers spray colored powder on the shirts. By the end of the race the shirt is tie-dyed because of all the colors that have been sprayed on it.

This year the biggest challenge was the heavy rain; it rained the entire day before the day of the race. However, the students and faculty who helped organize the event still made it out to set up the course and everything they needed for the next day.

Griffin and a team of students met for many weeks prior to the run in order to plan the run, which has become a yearly event here in the MacDuffie community. Participants come from not only the students and faculty, but their family and friends as well.

Griffin likes that this event raises money for a charity. Being able to help people who need it has always been its focus.

“Every year we raise between $2,000 and $3,500; we have never given away less the 2,000 dollars,” Griffin said. “It’s not just about having a fun day, it’s about being able to help these international charities.”

Griffin also mentioned the impact the Run for Hope has on the MacDuffie community.

“This isn’t just for the DAV, this event is for us as a community to grow and come closer together in a fun and caring way,” Griffin said. “The Run For Hope is not only a great way to raise money, but to also bring the MacDuffie school community close together.”

Senior Ava Marion, who also took part in this event last year, was very excited for the run. Marion and some of her classmates put a lot of time and effort into this year’s Run For Hope; the race has a lot of behind-the-scenes work that students don’t get to see.

Marion, who likes being involved in afterschool activities and other ways that benefit the school, wanted to get involved because of the cause. Donating her time for a great cause is something that she has always been willing to do.

“I thought it would be really cool to organize and volunteer, especially for a great charity like the DAV,” Marion said.

“The MacDuffie community takes pride in supporting and helping people and charities that are less fortunate,” Marion said. “Events like this are what make the MacDuffie School so special.”