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Runners Help Out Refugee Programs in Syracuse

Hannah Warren/WAER News

A group of about 50 runners gathered at Onondaga Lake’s Willow Bay park this weekend for a 5-K race to benefit non-profits working in refugee resettlement. Fayetteville-Manlius High School senior Caroline Tangoren organized the Global Community 5-K race with her friends to raise money, both for Oxfam International and Catholic Charities of Onondaga County.  She says it was important for a lot of reasons to divide the proceeds between community and international organizations.

Credit Hannah Warren/WAER News
Caroline Tangoren helped organize the 5-k run to benefit refugees resettled here, as well as international aid programs.

“It sort of comes from the ideology think globally, act locally.  If you really want to help refugees and help them rehabilitate from all they’ve been thorough, I think you need to address the problem at both ends.  You need to obviously help them in the camp, but just because they’ve found a new safe home, for example, here in Syracuse, it doesn’t mean they can jump back into life as normal as it can be.  They really need help getting on their feet again.  Half the money goes to helping them get on their feet and half of the money goes to helping them really in their darkest hour.” 

Craig Donnelly and Maria DiCocco were among the first to finish the race on Sunday. They said they enjoy shorter races like five “K”s because they’re less about race competition and more about bringing people together. And, they say it’s icing on the cake to help a worthy organization at the same time.

“We kind of get to have a nice picnic.  It turns out to be a nice day, and you meet a bunch of people along the way,” said Donnelly

DiCocco added, “Exactly; we like running anyway, but if we can help somebody or help an organization and run, I think it’s the best of both worlds.”

Caroline says the event raised a total of $3,000 for the nonprofits, and she hopes that the race is the first of many efforts to benefit resettled refugees, in Syracuse and beyond.

Chris Bolt, Ed.D. has proudly been covering the Central New York community and mentoring students for more than 30 years. His career in public media started as a student volunteer, then as a reporter/producer. He has been the news director for WAER since 1995. Dedicated to keeping local news coverage alive, Chris also has a passion for education, having trained, mentored and provided a platform for growth to more than a thousand students. Career highlights include having work appear on NPR, CBS, ABC and other news networks, winning numerous local and state journalism awards.
Hannah vividly remembers pulling up in the driveway with her mom as a child and sitting in the car as it idled with the radio on, listening to Ira Glass finish his thought on This American Life. When he reached a transition, it was a wild race out of the car and into the house to flip on the story again and keep listening. Hannah’s love of radio reporting has stuck with her ever since.