RU Pre-Dental Club hosts Run for Hope 5K

The Pre-Dental Club at Radford University is hosting the second annual Run for Hope 5K on April 12 at 1 p.m. in Bisset Park. The race will benefit the Mission of Hope, a surgical clinic in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Jacob Vaught, a senior biology major and president of the Pre-Dental Club, spent a week as a dental assistant in Haiti on a medical mission in March. The needs of Mission of Hope were obvious to him as a result of his experience.

"At the end of the day, we're in the position to help, so 'why not?'" he said. "The Pre-Dental Club sees this as an initiative to be part of the international health care community and to help the organization help as many as possible."

Last year's inaugural race raised more than $6,000 and Vaught is eager to build upon the success.

"The campus and Radford and dental communities have been very supportive," said Vaught, who highlighted the many businesses who have donated raffle prizes and other support as well as the race's Gold Sponsor, Piedmont Dental.

The Run for Hope 5K is open to the public and registration is $35. To encourage registration by groups, the club is offering campus and community groups the chance to enter a minimum five-person team for a minimum donation of $125. To register, visit the Run for Hope website. For more information, contact Vaught at jvaught@radford.edu.