Valentino King has one more year left at Syracuse University, and he wants to make it count. His volunteer work with refugees at the North Side Learning Center inspired the junior to organize the “You Otto Run” 5K to benefit refugees living in Syracuse.

“I wanted to do something that could leave an indelible impact on campus, and I thought about that in the form of a 5K,” said King, a junior political science major.

King learned about the North Side Learning Center through the citizenship and civic engagement program in SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. The program required students to volunteer off campus, and King was placed at North Side because he wanted to work on refugee development. He has been working with refugees for about a year.

The North Side Learning Center was founded in 2009. Its mission is to aid in literacy development for people of all ages and to be “instrumental in teaching self-sufficiency and self-actualization to newcomers in our community,” according to its website.

“These people, in the absence of any alternative, are basically on their own,” King said of the Syracuse refugee community, “and I want to really give back and contribute to their cause.”

King has fundraised for the 5K with help from Student Association and donors from his neighborhood in Miami. King developed a relationship with the superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and said he’s tapped into a successful pool of people who have been inspired by his work at SU. He raised $2,000 in five days via GoFundMe. Those funds will help purchase items including medals, balloons, banners and T-shirts.

The “You Otto Run” 5K is meant to be a pilot event. King hopes that if the run is successful, it will evolve into an organization that will continue to host the run after his time at SU is over.

“This is going to people who seriously need assistance, and this is an easy way their life gets one step close to normalcy,” King said.

The “You Otto Run” 5K will begin Saturday at noon in front of Schine Student Center. There is a $10 registration fee.

Published on April 15, 2018 at 10:14 pm

Contact Mateo: mtestlin@syr.edu