Scholars prepare for annual 5K
The Saint Joseph’s University Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support will host their sixth annual 5K on Sept. 23, 2017.
The 5K is one of the most effective forms of fundraising throughout the year for the Kinney Center because all of the money raised goes right back into the program. The university does not allocate a budget for the Kinney Center, so the operating budget and staff salaries are completely funded by donors.
“It’s a race,” Abigayle Jayroe, director of operations for the Kinney Center, said. “I wouldn’t call it super competitive, it’s a fun race. We’re timing you, you have a bib, you get a paper award to hang on your wall.” The goal for each year’s race is to raise at least as much as the previous year in donations.
This year, they’re expecting to hit at least $50,000.
“We have teams that individually set fundraising goals,” Jayroe said. “They fundraise on our behalf, so that really helps us go above and beyond what sponsorship dollars would do. It’s really our community that’s doing the fundraising for us, which makes it even more special.”
In addition to the team-oriented fundraising, the Kinney Center raises funds through sponsorships.
“We just basically reach out to local organizations,” Jayroe said. “Some places we already have partnerships [with] just through the Kinney Center. We’ve accumulated a lot of great sponsors over the years, so a lot of them will come back and be really happy to be a part of the day year after year.”
As a whole, both the 5K and the Kinney Center have grown exponentially since their beginnings. There are currently 150 undergraduate students serving 850 families at the Kinney Center, according to Jayroe. At the time of the organization’s conception in 2009, there were just 12 undergraduates and 12 families. About 1,200 participants are expected to participate in the 5K this year, in comparison with their first starting year of
fewer than 200 participants.
“It’s so exciting,” Jayroe said. “Every year, we get bigger and bigger.”
This will be the third time that the 5K will take place on the same weekend as Hawk Fest, which brings many alumni and families to campus.
“It’s amazing,” Jayroe said. “We have a lot of sports teams who participate that have nothing to do with Kinney. Then we have a lot of other organizations like sororities. They might have a single scholar who works here and they just rally around her. We do have alumni back for it, too.”
Julia Greenwald ’18, a Kinney Scholar, appreciates what this walk does for the Kinney Center.
“It is always wonderful to see so many St. Joe’s organizations come out and support the Kinney Center,” Greenwald said. “It makes the scholars and families feel special and appreciated. The Kinney Center is a wonderful place to be.
