Staff, faculty and students from Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology laced up their shoes at the fifth annual Campus Charity Run and Walk for the Boys and Girls Club of Durham on April 12.

May 25, 2011

On April 12, students, faculty and staff from Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) walked or ran a scenic five-kilometre course around the college’s Oshawa campus in support of the Boys and Girls Club of Durham (formerly Eastview Boys and Girls Club) and the special role it plays in the community.

Participants were required to pay a $20 entry fee but were also encouraged to raise additional funds. The run kicked off at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre (CRWC) in Gym 3. The majority of the proceeds raised by the event are going toward the club’s Youth Outreach Worker program, a preventative program that sees outreach workers run programming and events for high-risk youth in Oshawa, Ont.

In addition, some of the funds will be used to help the club make their buildings and events more accessible to youth with disabilities.

Carla Cesaroni, an associate professor with UOIT’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, organized the first run on campus in April 2007 and has been running the event ever since. “I’m very happy about how the day went,” she said. “This was our best year yet.”

The big day brought in $2,000 with the help of 115 volunteers and participants including students and teachers from G.L. Roberts Collegiate and Vocational Institute, a local secondary school in Oshawa that participates in the run each year.

In addition to providing a safe, supportive place for children and youth in Durham Region to experience new opportunities, overcome barriers and develop confidence and life skills, the Boys and Girls Club of Durham works with the Durham Regional Police Service on a number of programs geared toward youth offenders.