CLARK — A community event in Clark will bring together families, runners and volunteers to give back on Sunday, Oct. 4. Waves of Education will host its sixth annual Run Toward a Better Future 5K & Family Fun Event at Oak Ridge Park in Clark.
The 5K Run/Walk begins at 9 a.m. followed by children’s races and family fun activities at 10:30 a.m., including a magician, bounce house, face painting, games and prizes, and arts and crafts.
Waves of Education was founded by Alexandra Cruz. She’s a pharmacist who was involved with Waves of Hope, a medical mission organization. In 2018 she went to Uganda. While there, she saw a little girl, about 5 years old, in a tattered dress. “She was the cutest little thing,” said Cruz.
The little girl came with Cruz to the location of the medical mission. “She was in the back of the bus with me,” said Cruz. “I was showing her phone pictures. We were laughing. We got to the place. She was following me around. She didn’t speak English. The whole week, she was my little shadow.”
Cruz found out the little girl’s dad was 80 years old and an alcoholic. And her mom left when the girl was just a year old. “I was crying,” said Cruz.
The little girl, Ndagire Kevin, was malnourished and had ringworm on her head. She only owned three dresses that were given to her by a social worker, Sister Bernadette, who took the child into her care. Despite the hardships she faced, Ndagire was always smiling.
Cruz was so moved by Ndagire, she offered to sponsor her so she could go to boarding school and have a chance to escape poverty. A million shillings was just $250 in U.S. dollars. Ndagire was able to go to school.
“She got to learn, get clothing. Everything was taken care of,” said Cruz.
Cruz still keeps in touch with Ndagire, who is now 15 and speaks perfect English. Cruz visits with her twice a year. Ndagire is well fed and has plenty of clothing. And she’s happy. She hopes to one day become a teacher.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Cruz said she felt she wasn’t doing enough in the health crisis. She thought about building a school in Uganda. The school was completed towards the end of 2021 and Waves of Education was born.
There’s a nursery school with three classrooms and a primary school with grades one through five. Between the two schools, there are 500 students. There is also a playground and a school bus. They have running water and electricity.
“We made great improvements,” said Cruz. “It’s something I’m passionate about. I never built a school before. The response has been great. It’s nice to see 500 students get the opportunity to go to school every day.”
With the proceeds from this year’s run, Cruz hopes to build a dormitory for kids who live far from school to stay at the school.
To register for the Waves of Education run, visit: https://runsignup.com/runtowardabetterfuture.
For more information on Waves of Education, visit: https://wavesofeducation.org/.
Photo Courtesy of Waves of Education
