Students, faculty, staff and administrators joined together for the Susan G. Komen Race
for the Cure Oct. 18 at Metropolitan Park.

They chose to complete either the 2K or 5K run to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer patients and research.

The 57 team members of the Healthy Osprey Race for the Cure team raised $690 for the event.

As the largest UNF group there, it consisted of faculty, staff and administrators, but its main populous was students, said Mike Kennedy, team captain and assistant director of Health Promotions.

“I really felt like this event would be a great opportunity to go [and] see what we can do to rally the campus around this event,” Kennedy said.

Junior psychology major Kristin Kennedy, one of the Healthy Osprey team members, felt the good cause was worth it, she said.

“It ended up being a lot of fun if you go with a good group of people,” Kennedy said. “I’d definitely do it next year.”

According to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Web site, one woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes in the United States alone.

Going by these statistics, it’s easy to believe most of the participants had been personally affected by breast cancer, either as survivors or as family members of survivors.

“My grandma’s had breast cancer, my boyfriend’s mom has had it twice, so it’s very personal to me, which is why I wanted to do it,” said Amy Zuchlewski, area coordinator and team captain of the UNF Residence
Life team.

The UNF Residence Life team consisted of two resident assistants, two area coordinators and one student.

Together they raised $150 to donate to the cause.

Chris Hovel, resident assistant and team member of the Residence Life team, referred to the race as “early, but good.”

Hovel said he was dependent on his teammates during the race.

Zuchlewski agreed.

“Chris and I ran together,” Zuchlewski said. “We stuck together the entire time. We didn’t stop, and we finished in a better time than we thought we would. It felt good to finish with someone and to encourage each other to keep going.”

Whether members walked, jogged or ran the race, all were willingly giving support to their community, as 75 percent of the funds go to financially unstable Jacksonville area breast cancer patients, according to the Komen Web site.

“Because if we don’t [help,] who will?” Zuchlewski said. “Someone needs to do it.”

E-mail Rebecca McKinnon at staff3@unfspinnaker.com.