The Catholic Student Association raised about $150 in the annual Help the Homeless 5K Walk Saturday morning on the National Mall.
An estimated 1,500 people gathered on the National Mall Saturday morning for the walk sponsored by the Fannie May Foundation in 1988. The foundation created the walk "to respond to the growing needs of homeless people in the Washington metropolitan area" according to their website.
"We think its something important since we all live in the city," said Sara Couch, community service chair of the Catholic Student Association. "Its good to acknowledge and help the other people who live here."
The Help the Homeless Program mission is "to raise awareness of and funds for Washington Metropolitan area organizations that are working to prevent and end homelessness, with an emphasis on programs that help homeless people return to independent living" according to the website.
The Catholic Student Association chose to donate its money to the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington.
"You can pick your own charity you want your money to go towards so you really know that your money is going somewhere you can make a difference," Katie Hoelting, the technical advisor of the group, said.
The Catholic charities organization takes a "grassroots approach to delivering social services that help people become self-sufficient. We focus on prevention when possible, intervention when needed and advocacy when resources are inadequate" according to the mission statement on their website.
"Catholic Charities does a number of different services and as a Catholic team it's appropriate to be giving money there," Hoelting said. "It's hard to get up early on Saturday morning but it's great because you're outside and you know you did something worth while for the day"
