The Convent of the Sacred Heart campus will transform from school to racetrack when students, family and friends participate in the Third Annual Run for Uganda, Saturday October 19.

For three years, Sacred Heart has been the host of the 5K run and 1K Fun Run/Walk in an effort to raise money for the network school  in Uganda. Last spring, the Run for Uganda in April raised over  $2,000, $500 more than in 2012.

Africa Task Force, a student-run club, first organized the race in 2011. The event is held to sponsor the tuition of six students at the Sacred Heart Primary School in Kyamusansala Hill and St. Charles Lwanga Secondary School for Girls in southwest Uganda. The cost of tuition for one girl at these schools is $650, and also includes boarding fees. The extra funds will be invested in necessary resources such as fresh water, food, staff housing and materials for the upkeep of the school.

The 2013-2014 club heads of Africa Task Force are seniors Margot McCloskey and Jacqueline Thomas, and sophomore Lizzie Considine. The club mission is to provide education and resources for the Sacred Heart sister school in Uganda, as well as hold community-wide activities to raise money for the students and teachers in Africa.

Run for Uganda coordinator, Mrs. Lori Wilson, Director of Campus Ministry, US Community Service and Summer Enrichment, visited the Sacred Heart Primary School in 2012 along with Director of Educational Technology Mr. Karl Haeseler. Both staff members were able to meet some of the students who had been sponsored by Sacred Heart.

“The students were loving and kind and treated Mr. Haeseler and me like we were part of the family, which we are, just very distant relatives,” Mrs. Wilson said.  “It was hard to leave them as they were so kind, which is very much like our own students here at CSH make us feel.”

The Run for Uganda will be hosted at the Sacred Heart campus, and the day will be filled with activities and family fun. Registration will begin at 11:15 am. The 5K run commences at 12:00 pm, while the 1K Fun Run and Walk begins 15 minutes later.

All students, families, and friends are welcome to attend. They can register as teams or individuals. The fee is $100 per team, $25 for individual runners and $15 for individual walkers.

For more information about the event, please contact Mrs. Wilson.