The third annual American Classic 5K run and walk will be held Saturday morning to raise money for the AU chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
The streets behind AU will be closed for the event.
"This year, we received approval to have the 5K off-campus," said Stephanie Frankfurt, co-chair of the event and president of AU Habitat for Humanity. "The race starts and finishes on the Quad, and loops around the neighborhood behind AU."
Frankfurt said she hopes to raise $3,000 to $4,000 this year. Last year the race raised $2,000.
The biggest expense for the event is paying the Metropolitan Police Department, whose costs will be nearly $6,000 this year, according to Frankfurt.
"The [AU Club Council] only allots us $3,800, so most of our money raised goes to the MPD instead of Habitat for Humanity," Frankfurt said.
After the budget expenses, the rest of the proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity. According to Frankfurt, DC Habitat for Humanity hopes to build 53 houses on several acres of land that the organization bought.
Normally it would take four to five years to raise the $100,000 to build a house, so the D.C. Habitat for Humanity contacted D.C. universities and asked them to pull their fund-raising efforts together to build a house every year for the next five years, Frankfurt said.
AU, Howard, Georgetown, Catholic and George Washington universities hope to raise $20,000 each per year.
Some AU students feel that the 8 a.m. race is too early on Saturday and choose not to participate, though others say it's worth getting up for.
"I ran two years ago," said Erin Wolff, a junior in the School of International Service. "It was fun and a good cause."
Jason Eisen, a sophomore in SIS, is co-chairing the event.
"I worked a lot with Habitat for Humanity in high school," Eisen said. "We even held our own 5K in my hometown. ... It's a great way to help homeless people in the area."
Freshman Alex Stepanuk joined Habitat for Humanity upon her arrival at AU. "I'm in Habitat for Humanity because I believe that it is a great cause," she said.
People may register for the race on Saturday from 6:30 to7:30 a.m. before the 8 a.m. start. Registered participants will receive free T-shirts and there will also be a prize giveaway at the event. For more information on the American Classic 5K, visit www.studentconfederation.org/run.
