'Andrej 5K' Fun Run in Honor of Late RHAM High School Teacher
Willimantic, CT (09/09/2019) — The second annual "Andrej 5K" will occur on Sept. 28 at 10:30 a.m. at Mansfield Hollow State Park. The fun run/walk is in honor of Andrej Cavarkapa, an avid runner and high school teacher who passed away in January 2017 while jogging near his home in West Hartford. The event was created to keep Andrej's spirit alive, as well as to raise funds for his memorial endowed scholarship at Eastern Connecticut State University.
Cavarkapa was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzcegovina, in 1987, the son of Branko and Aleksandra Cavarkapa. He was four years old when his family moved to the United States. He graduated from Eastern in 2009 with degrees in biology and biochemistry, and also received his master's degree in secondary education from Eastern in 2012.
Cavarkapa was a science teacher at RHAM High School where he was known as "Mr. C." He was passionate about his job and worked to make physics and chemistry accessible to all students. His interest included art, music, environmental activism and running.
The Andrej Cavarkapa Memorial Endowed Scholarship honors Andrej's passion for running and education by assisting biology majors with financial need, with a preference for RHAM graduates.
Last year, 190 people ran or walked in the inaugural Andrej 5K. All are welcome to run or walk the trail - including dogs - although the terrain is not suitable for strollers or wheelchairs.
Those unable to attend are encouraged to run or walk in solidarity. People from as far as Hawaii and Idaho participated in solidarity last year.
Entrants can register for the run online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-andrej5k-runwalk-tickets-53841399074. All proceeds will go to Andrej's memorial endowed scholarship. You can also be a sponsor of the event and donate directly to the scholarship by filling out the Andrej Cavarkapa Memorial Endowed Scholarship sponsorship form, found at https://ecsufoundation.com/andrej5k-sponsorship/.
An after party will follow the run. Follow the event's social media pages for more details: https://www.facebook.com/Andrej5K/ and https://www.instagram.com/andrej5k/.
Written by Vania Galicia
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving 5,200 students annually at its Willimantic campus and satellite locations. In addition to attracting students from 160 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 33 other states and 80 other countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 65 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal art foundation grounded in an array of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 30 public universities in the North Region by U.S. News and World Report in its 2019 Best College ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review nine years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.
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