Students turn class project into community cause

FINDLAY — What began as a class project on a bus ride to Washington, D.C. is now bringing Findlay students and the community together to run for a cause. Findlay High School seniors Jacob Meier, Nicholas Kasiborski, Lucas Parnell and Andrew Custer have teamed up to organize the Run for Liberty 5K on Aug. 16 at Riverside Park. Proceeds from the event benefit Legal Aid of Western Ohio, a nonprofit regional law firm providing free legal aid to those in poverty. The idea for the race originated as a part of the group's "Make a Difference" project for their AP Government and Politics class. While many students chose to engage in traditional volunteer efforts, these four chose to create something that would promote community involvement, and physical activity. "We decided we would do a charity 5K to be a little bit different, but also because we thought it'd be fun to interact with the community," Custer said. Throughout the summer, the four seniors got to work in organizing the event. With the help of Pro Bono Director at LAWO Melissa LaRocco, they helped solidify the nonprofit as the 5K's beneficiary. "It's very helpful to the community for people who may not be able to achieve that representation and they may not understand the legal system," Meier said. "With the Legal Aid of Western Ohio, they can have access to legal health attorneys and other law experts in the area." Having come up with the idea in the spring, the group had a tight timeline to navigate city approvals, get the proper permits and plan out the race route. "We got the idea in early April to May, and then we had to go through school approvals, city approval, and very long approval processes that kind of sped up our timeline," Custer said. "But, that's also been the fun of it, too. We're constantly working for it and that's the rewarding part." Each member of the group brought something different to the table when planning out the event. Kasiborski and Meier assisted in communications and social media, while Parnell and Custer used their past running experience to plan out the route and race-day logistics. All four members have been working together to recruit volunteers, get sponsors and spread the word. "This teamwork that we have, with all our separate interests and all our separate areas of skill, really makes this into what it is now and makes it successful," Meier said. Several mentors have assisted the seniors in the project including LaRocco and their teacher, Mark Dickman, who continues to help the students even after his recent retirement. "Our teacher, Mark Dickman, has been pretty much invaluable to helping this thing come together," Parnell said. "He's still helping us find sources or find contacts that we can reach out to in the district. Melissa LaRocco, who is one of the Directors at Legal Aid, has been meeting with us and I've been emailing her throughout the summer. She's quick to respond and quick to help. They've both made this possible." The race begins at 9 a.m. with a rough stop at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Riverside Park, The route follows along the Blanchard River, through neighborhoods and back. The group advises participants to arrive at least half an hour before the race starts for check-in. Volunteers should arrive at 8 a.m. "The city of Findlay helped us with that route after we had our own route in mind, and we put those two together," Meier said. "The route is by the scenic waterfall area by Riverside. It's where many people go to have a nice afternoon in Findlay. You don't have to run it either, it's a run or walk event to support a cause that we think is beneficial to so many people in the world." Registration is currently open on the group's website, https://sites.google.com/view/runforliberty5k/home. Participants can also donate to LAWO or volunteer to assist on race day. "We are accepting volunteers to help with water stations along the route and helping people get signed up," Kasiborski said. "On our sign up website, there is a spot to donate money if you want to help support the cause without actually participating in the race." The four seniors hope the event raises awareness for LAWO and brings the community together for a day of fun and purpose. "We're hoping to benefit both the participants and the Legal Aid of Western Ohio," Kasiborski said. "We're hoping that this race will be a good idea for people in the community to get out and be together and also go through the race, which will be great for physical activity. With the Legal Aid of Western Ohio, we hope people will be able to continue taking advantage of it through the money that we hope to raise for it."