The service I have been part of is called “Housing and Habitat”, a student-led organization that has been supporting and helping the Janoda Foundation in Hambantota by providing school resources, furniture, and each year visit to help rebuild/redecorate their environment. In order for the service group to be able to do these service activities, housing and habitat organize an annual fundraiser called “Homerun”, it is a 5km marathon where anybody can participate. The event is not only an opportunity for the service to gather funds to be able to purchase items to help Janoda Foundation but it is also helpful for the SAISA athletes who can do some extra fitness. Last year, we had collaborated with Care for Paws and so like last year the participants were able to bring their dogs to the run and give treats to the dogs after the marathon.
To get prepared for Homerun, we have to make a poster that we would put up on the walls along the running trail to have the runners know where to go, created a trailer for Homerun to be presented during an assembly to advertise and invite everyone to it, also the video was created to be entertaining to watch as well to motivate people to attend.
An OSC Parent attending Homerun (GeckoNet)
We had to arrive at school at 5:00am to get all the materials ready and set-up the courses with tables, gallons of water, cups, signs, and for the final run to school we had orange slices prepared for the runners to enjoy after finishing. We would use the school staff truck to load and unload all the equipment on the checkpoints of the running course. Everyone had their specific roles, Rizqi and Liam on bicycles to lead the runners on the course, and Nehe in the truck who was in the back of the runners in-order for them to not get lost and the rest of the members were partnered up as a group of 2 and were at the check-points handing out water. Harry and I were at the first checkpoint near the back of school handing out water but because most of the runners were athletic not many people wanted water so we were able to clean up fast and get into the truck and clean-up the other checkpoints.
Rizqi and Liam on bicycles (GeckoNet)
The fundraiser Homerun was a success as there were no major problems during the fundraiser and we were able to have 120 people attend the fundraiser. Our goal for next year is to definitely create better course signs as we were told by some of the runners who were in the middle pack of runners getting lost as some turns had no signs so they got lost. Another goal that can be is that we can try and advertise the run for outside OSC people because as for the SAISA athletes it was given as an optional thing we did not have as many runners.
All Participants of Homerun (GeckoNet)