Bethel Students Participate in Poverty Awareness Marathon

Press release:

WILLIMANTIC, CT (10/29/2014)(readMedia)-- On the morning of Friday, Sept. 19, students and faculty gathered outside the Student Center at Eastern Connecticut State University to participate in a marathon to show of support for the 46.2 million people in the United States living in poverty. The goal of the Poverty Awareness Marathon, organized by the Center for Community Engagement (CCE), was to collect 462 nonperishable food items to donate to the local Covenant Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry in Willimantic. More than 300 students took time out of their busy schedules to take part.

Alexandra Cafferty of Bethel, CT, was one of the participants. Cafferty’s major is Psychology. A donation was required to register for the 26.5 mile run around campus, with each lap consisting of 1.2 miles. Participants were encouraged to come and go as their schedule permitted.

Richard Hodge of Bethel, CT, was one of the participants. Hodge’s major is Sport & Leisure Management. A donation was required to register for the 26.5 mile run around campus, with each lap consisting of 1.2 miles. Participants were encouraged to come and go as their schedule permitted.

Jenna Mango of Bethel, CT, was one of the participants. Mango’s major is Psychology. A donation was required to register for the 26.5 mile run around campus, with each lap consisting of 1.2 miles. Participants were encouraged to come and go as their schedule permitted.

Luis Rodriguez, assistant director of the CCE, was impressed with the turnout. “This is the first major volunteer event of the year. Professors brought their entire classes -- clubs and sports teams came out too,” he said. “The event showed that there is a community beyond Eastern. Eastern and Willimantic -- we’re one big community here.”

Professor Charlie Chatterton, department chair of the Health and Physical Education Department, has been instrumental in the marathon’s success since the beginning. The marathon was number 57 in his “Take Strides to ‘Brake’ the Cycle of Poverty” marathon initiative, a personal crusade in which Eastern has played an important role. “As a group, we collectively completed more than 667 miles and collected 561 nonperishable food items for the Covenant Soup Kitchen,” said Chatterton.

Eastern Connecticut State University is the state’s public liberal arts university and serves approximately 5,300 students each year on its Willimantic campus and at satellite locations. A predominantly residential campus, Eastern offers more than 30 majors and 50 minors while emphasizing a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in applied learning experiences. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.