Campus Ministry Freezes for Malaria
By Dave Reinholz | Photos by Brittany Victoria Allen
On a crystal clear day with temperatures that started at 16 degrees and warmed to a balmy 22 degrees, never mind the wind chill, 22 hardy runners laced up for the first annual Central Washington University Wesley Club 5K run fundraiser for Imagine No Malaria.
CWU Wesley is a campus ministry of the Ellensburg First United Methodist Church. Students from CWU Wesley, with support from the university, planned, promoted, and executed this 5K run on November 15, 2014 on the campus of Central Washington University.
As the students planned their program this past summer, Imagine No Malaria was chosen as a mission and fundraising focus for the school year. When mid-November was chosen for the date of the run, students had no idea the timing would coincide with some of the coldest weather ever for this time of year. Undaunted, these dedicated students bundled up to register, support, and cheer on the runners brave enough to complete the course under tough conditions. Among the supporters were Pastor Jen Stuart of Ellensburg UMC, and runners Pastor Bruce Smith from Yakima Wesley UMC and Pastor Kendra Behn-Smith, Selah UMC.
Julia Frisbie, the INM field coordinator for the Greater NW Episcopal area, provided bibs, t-shirts, and help with online registration. Runners paid $15 to enter and received complimentary shirts, bracelets, and frostbite. Despite the bitter cold, the students raised over $500 to help end malaria. In addition, this event allowed CWU Wesley to become better known across campus. Oh, and we didn’t see one mosquito that day!
