Early on Saturday morning, 5K Terry Trot attendees grabbed race bibs displaying their numbers. Warming up in a circle in front of Gregory Gymnasium, participants prepared for a run.
Student organizations UT Terry Scholars, 1967 Latina Run Club and Texas Fuego collaborated and hosted the first Terry Trot on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Designed as a 5K run-for-a-cause, the organizations prompted students to run, jog or walk to fundraise for Casa Marianella, which provides local shelter and relief for displaced immigrants and asylum seekers in Austin.
“We had never partnered with (organizations) to this level, so it was a little intimidating,” said Nathali Abella Hernandez, a Terry Scholar Student Association junior finance director. “As the day came closer and we had more small businesses donate little rewards and discounts that we could give out, and I could see more participation, then it was very rewarding to know that we were actually bringing students to participate in something that gives back to the community.”
Abella, an economics and business & public policy junior, said the event reminds students that their community stretches beyond just campus.
“I know there’s a very big immigrant community in all big cities, but I think Austin is a good reflection of what immigration looks like in Texas,” Abella said. “By showing up to an event like this, we’re also raising awareness about the opportunities that nonprofits, like Casa Marianella, creates.”
With this year’s uptick of ICE raids, Hillary Hernandez, Texas Feugo service chair, said it’s unfair to target people who come to the country for a better future.
“They label us as criminals,” Hillary said. “There’s also people from other countries that are coming into the United States, but Hispanics and Latin communities are a big part of the immigrants that are being targeted, that are being mistreated.”
Hillary Hernandez said the Terry Trot helps students understand social issues happening in the community and spreads awareness about the mistreatment of immigrants and minority groups.
“(The Terry Trot) creates a sense of unity and social responsibility for students to create this awareness about the challenges faced by immigrants, especially during (these) political times,” Hillary said. “It’s really hard seeing everything that’s happening with immigrants and asylum seekers.”
After raising $448 to donate to Casa Marianella, the three participating organizations hope to continue to engage the community in bringing awareness to the circumstances surrounding the Latino community, Texas Fuego president Ashley Ochoa Martinez said.
“I believe that all fundraisers are strongly passionate about their cause, but there is a cultural connection here,” Ochoa Martinez said. “There’s a lot of lived experiences that go behind the cause that we’re fighting for. … That is what makes it so special, knowing that everyone is working so hard for something that they believe in so strongly.”
