It’s hard to believe that a student-led fun run, which began almost 40 years ago, could contribute close to $500,000 for medical research.
In 1979, the students of Earle Page College came up with the concept for their extraordinary fundraising event for Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI), the Coast Run, and that proud tradition continued over the weekend.
The University of New England college organised 42 students this year to run 220km, in relay-style 1km or 5km intervals, all the way to Coffs Harbour. It was led by a core group of runners, dubbed The Dream Team, who did the first leg and keep the convoy going for the full two days.
CMRI fundraising team members, Jennifer Philips and Julie Lam, attended to congratulate the runners and thank them for their commitment.
“At the finish line, there was a huge sense of camaraderie as everyone cheered on their teammates, offering words of encouragement and celebrating their huge collective achievement,’’ Julie said. “The expected rain held off until after everyone jumped off Coffs Harbour Jetty to cool down. We really wanted to thank everyone involved in this wonderful event.’’
The school is yet to collate the final total from this year's fundraising efforts but they are aiming to reach an incredible $20,000.
Earle Page College also do a huge fashion parade event in the middle of the year, as another fundraiser for CMRI. The school is hoping to hit an incredible $500,000 of funds raised for CMRI during their 40th year in 2019.