Current president Shayna Anglin said the event has been going on for at least the last three or four years.
The annual Gamma Phive K is held every fall at Valparaiso. The event raises money for Girls on the Run. The organization works to build confidence in girls from 8-13 years old. The culmination is a celebratory 5 kilometer run. Despite the cold and rain, nothing was going to deter at least one hundred people from showing up according to safety and wellness officer Kieley Harrington. The total amount raised was between $800-$900.
"The purpose of Girls on the Run is to build confidence in young girls and help them to realize they can do anything they put their mind to," current member Jenn Reed said. "The day begins with a lesson. The lesson each day is different." Some lessons focus on how to deal with bullying while other lessons focus on gossip, and other lessons focus on healthy ways to confront people.
"We use the model 'When you...I feel...I would like you to...'" she said.
The girls then run and practice the skills they learned with activities while running. At the end, they all come back together and share their experiences or when they had to deal with a situation on the nature of the lesson.
"It basically gives them a place to learn important life skills that are often forgotten or things that parents and teachers sometimes overlook," Reed said. "It helps to give them the confidence they need to be successful in any situation."
With the 5k, every chapter does some form of it, according to safety and wellness officer Kieley Harrington. Events range from color runs to traditional 5k runs.
It wasn't just those in Greek Life that put teams together. Brothers Reaching Out and the Social Action Leadership Team (SALT) also participated.
"Gamma Phi Beta really helped us out last year with our color run," current senior and SALT chair Caleb Rollins said. "Now it was our turn to help them."
