ODU Campus Will Be Site of Memorial 5K Run on Sept. 11
The Old Dominion University community will mark the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 with a 5K run around the ODU campus, hosted by the university's Center for Service and Civic Engagement (CSCE).
The 9.11 Memorial 5K, which is co-sponsored by Blue Star Families, a nonprofit that supports families of deployed service members, begins at 9 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, one minute after a moment of silence is observed at 8:59 a.m., marking the exact moment the first of the World Trade Center towers was struck during the terrorist attacks.
There is a $20 entry fee for the run, but it will be waived for active-duty and retired military members and their families, first responders and members of the ODU community. Donations are also encouraged. All race proceeds will go to the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program.
Eric Endries, regional director of the Greater Hampton Roads Virginia Wounded Warrior Program and a wounded vet himself, will be one of the guest speakers for the program before the run, along with ODU President John R. Broderick and Bianca Martinez, an anchor on WTKR-TV and a military spouse.
The course for the run is a double loop of the campus, starting and ending on Kaufman Mall in front of Webb Center.
Kaufman Mall will be lined by more than 3,000 American flags on the morning of the run, one for each person killed in the Sept. 11 attacks. The flags will be placed by the ODU College Republicans.
For a registration form, visit https://www.raceit.com/register/default.aspx?event=6043.
A nonpartisan organization, Blue Star Families was formed in 2008 by a group of military spouses to raise awareness among civilian communities and leaders about the challenges of military family life.
CSCE provides ODU students with opportunities to enhance their educational experience beyond the boundaries of the classroom by engaging in meaningful service to the campus community, as well as to local and global communities.
For more information about the 9.11 Memorial 5K, or any other CSCE-sponsored event, call 683-6948 or email volunteer@odu.edu.