Katherine Repasky |assistant editor

It only took $5 and a pair of running shoes for Duquesne University students to turn a weekend morning on campus into an opportunity to help students in Tanzania.

On Sunday, The Run for Tengeru marked the official kick off of Duquesne’s annual Heritage Week. The event raised funds for the Spiritan-led Tengeru Secondary Boys School in Northern Tanzania, which was established in 2005 with the goal of providing quality, well-rounded education.

Olivia Samaniego, a senior speech-language pathology major and event volunteer, said helping with the race both this year and last has been inspiring.

“I hope people can know that even if it’s just a small action, like donating $5 for a 5K run, that little action can create a bigger change in the world,” Samaniego said.

For Abigail Stevens and Emma Monteleone, both sophomore speech-language pathology students, the low cost and on-campus location made the race an easy way to support the mission.

“I think it’s just a really good cause — support for another school,” Stevens said. “And you get some good fitness in.”

Organizer and Director of Mission Animation Luci-Jo DiMaggio, said the runner turnout has doubled since last year’s inaugural race.

“I feel like we had a really good turnout last year, but this year it’s expanded a lot more, which is really nice to see,” Samaniego said.

The race was created to give students an inexpensive way to participate in Duquesne’s Spiritan mission by contributing to its pillars of service and walking alongside others in need.

“We wanted everybody to feel like they could be a part of making a difference for the students in Tengeru,” DiMaggio said. “We wanted students to be able to make a difference with their $5.”

Student Government Association Vice President of Mission and Community Gabby Garcia said the event and its growing turnout was especially meaningful to her, as she works to connect Duquesne’s student body with the university’s mission.

“We have been working alongside this cause for a long time and being part of a tradition that allows us to help them also creates the space for each student to align with Duquesne’s values and mission,” Garcia said.

For Samaniego, the university’s connection to the Spiritans reflects Duquesne’s larger emphasis on global engagement.

“I know we have been supporting the boys’ school in Tengeru for a while, as well as spiritual work across the world,” Samaniego said. “Knowing that the Spiritans have this global engagement is really cool.”

The money raised through the race is also part of a larger effort to expand access to education and turn the boys school into a coeducational institution. DiMaggio attributed a delay in the school’s opening to the lack of dormitory space for girls.

She said this year’s donation money could help bring the goal to fruition.

“Last year, we raised just about $4,000. The majority of that was $5 and $10 donations from students, which I love,” DiMaggio said. “This way every student has a way they can give back.”

Catherine Yanity, a junior sociology student and volunteer at the race, said she hopes students feel the personal connection between their participation on campus and the students at the boys school in Tengeru.

“I hope they see that everybody is connected. We’re all the same,” Yanity said. “Seeing through an event like this that physical activity is so important, not just to us, but especially for those in the boarding school, just kind of connects us all on a human level.”

Heritage Week will also include Duquesne’s 148th birthday Wednesday and the feast day of Claude Poullart des Places, the founder of the Spiritans, on Friday.

Katherine Repasky can be reached at repaskyk@duq.edu