News
Rams Run for Equity
Central Catholic's Dean of Student Life, Matt Horne '88, and his son, Luke Horne '21, were planning an extensive running and college visit road trip adventure this summer. As their trip was drawing near, they decided to use it as a way to support and raise awareness for Portland's local equity organizations. In conjunction with Central Catholic's Diversity Leadership Council and the track and cross country coaches, they launched the "Rams Run for Equity" campaign.
The goal of the Rams Run for Equity campaign was to "positively move for change," and they achieved this by inviting members of the Central Catholic community to "run, walk, cycle, or just stand with us as we seek equity in our local community." Participants were asked to make a donation for every mile they were expected to cover in a
two-week period, or to simply give a flat donation. This campaign spanned the time of Matt and Luke's road trip throughout the country, and they posted photos and updates of their trip for inspiration to get moving and donate.
After creating a GoFundMe page and reaching out to the Central Catholic community to support their efforts, Matt and Luke set off on their two-week trip. They traversed from state to state, stopping off at points of interest to log their daily runs. They ran in a different location every day and shared their story on social media throughout their journey. Over the course of their trip, Matt and Luke ended up driving 7,500 miles, visiting 17 states and 11 colleges, spending 131 hours in the car, and running more than 200 miles between the both of them.
Their documentation proved to be inspiring to the Central Catholic community, as they surpassed their fundraising goal of $2,000 after only seven days. They increased their fundraising goal and aimed to raise $3,000. They quickly reached this goal again, and ended up raising $3,315 from 65 donors for Portland equity organizations.
All proceeds from the run went towards benefitting non-profit organizations in the Portland area that are doing incredible equity work. The Central Catholic Student Diversity Leadership Council selected five organizations to support, and all donors were given the chance to vote on how funds would be allocated. The Rams Run for Equity campaign allocated funds to these five Portland organizations:
At the end of their trip and the fundraiser, Matt reflected, "It was an amazing experience for Luke and I as we ran across 17 states in 15 days, but it was humbling to see daily support of our efforts and the cause." The Central Catholic community is grateful to Matt and Luke for their efforts in raising funds and raising awareness for local equity organizations!