Race against time

Courtesy of Lucas Zastrow

Sam Daney (left) is a member of CSA and a part of the Help the Hogar team. She is with a group of children inside the Hogar De Niños Emanuel orphanage in Honduras.

Running with two legs is easy, running with three — not so much. Grab a friend, tie your legs together and get ready to bring out your inner child.

“Help The Hogar is a philanthropic event created to raise awareness and funds for the Hogar De Niños Emanuel,” said Lucas Zastrow, a fourth-year pre-physical therapy major. “The event itself is a three-legged race around campus, with some obstacles to complete along the way.”

The Hogar De Niños Emanuel is an orphanage in Honduras and all proceeds will be given directly to the orphanage to help support the children, Zastrow said.

“We are trying to keep it fun and kid-themed for the children,” said Katelyn Rottinger, a fourth-year nursing major.

Twelve students from the Catholic Student Association were given the privilege to go on a mission trip to Honduras over winter break last year, according to Rottinger.

“There we got the privilege to stay at an orphanage for a week which housed around 90 children all aging from 6 months to 18 years old,” Rottinger said. “During this week we got to learn a lot about these children and their backgrounds. Most of these kids were in gangs, have had to beg for food and have seen their parents or other siblings be killed right in front of them. After all of these horrible things, the kids were still the happiest they could be. They treated us like royalty and offered us so much.”

Zastrow said he experienced first-hand acceptance and love from a group of children that have been through tragedies he can’t even begin to imagine.

“I went to the orphanage ready to serve these children, and they ended up serving me. Despite their humble living conditions, they treated me with extreme generosity and kindness,” Zastrow said. “These children have touched my heart, and I want to do whatever I can to improve their lives in any way I can.”

Now the Catholic Student Association wants to give back to them.

“Luke Zastrow and I started this event last year after returning from Honduras for the first time,” said Lauren Banks, a third-year recreational therapy major. “It was a life-changing experience and we really felt called to give back in some way. This event gave us the opportunity to make a difference for a cause that was so special to us. After returning to Honduras a second time, we hope that the event can be even bigger and better this year.”

Zastrow said he thinks people should get involved because they have an opportunity to give to a group of children that never got to experience all of the things we take for granted here in the United States.

“The orphanage home is located in San Pedro Sula in Honduras. Honduras is the number one country for crime and murder per capita. These children are not safe in this orphanage,” Rottinger said. “Gangs walk outside the orphanage and the children are only protected by a high fence. We are trying to raise funds to be able to build the children a wall so they are protected while living at the orphanage.”

According to Banks, some of these children have already had harder lives than any of us could ever imagine.

“The least we can do is run this race for them and show them that we are thinking about them,” she said.

Zastrow said students should attend this event for multiple reasons.

“This event is a great opportunity for individuals to broaden their horizons and have their eyes opened to the reality of life in other countries,” Zastrow said. “I also think people should get involved because it is going to be an extremely fun event. We are going to provide food and prizes and ensure people have a blast trying to complete the course.”

At last year’s event, the CSA raised over $1,400; they hope to top that number this year.

“At this year’s event, we will be making a few positive changes,” said Zastrow. “The first is that we will be providing food for this year’s participants. We have Chipotle, Jimmy John’s and Chick-fil-A catering and we are grateful for their support. We will also be adding a new obstacle to the race this year. In addition, we will be explaining more about the orphanage and ensuring that participants understand where their support is going.”

According to Zastrow, they are extremely excited to put on this event and they hope to see a large amount of students supporting it.

“This is something I am extremely passionate about,” Rottinger said. “These kids have a lot of love, but need more in their life. Even with being broke college kids, we have so much to offer. I want to hold an event to show them that they are cared and loved for. Little things like this helps them become a better person and will help the country of Honduras as a whole.”

The event will take place in Centennial Mall at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27. To sign up for the event, go to www.helpthehogar.eventbrite.com.