On Sunday morning, snow tried to coat the roads in East Rock Park to no avail. The soles of over 4,000 shoes met each new flake as it fell, treading a path through the whiteout. For two hours, the snowfall was replaced by footfall.
Runners assembled at 10 a.m. for Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services’ annual Run for Refugees, an event that raises money and awareness for the resettlement of Connecticut refugees and immigrants. This year, New Haven expects to welcome over 1,000 refugees from Afghanistan. The 5K run through New Haven started at Wilbur Cross High School, stretched through East Rock Park, looped down to Worthington Hooker School and ended back at Wilbur Cross. The event raised $93,000 for IRIS.
“The run sounds a little crazy because it is on a cold day in the coldest month, but it's one of those times when you have so many people come together for the same mission that you don't even feel the cold air, you just feel a lot of positivity,” said Zeenie Malik, IRIS community engagement and events specialist.
IRIS has held the run every year since 2007, with the event conducted virtually in 2021. In past years, more than 3,000 people participated. But, for safety reasons, the organization limited the race by a third of its usual capacity this year. They also offered a virtual option, which allowed people to run remotely and log their time. Four-hundred runners participated virtually and 2,200 runners participated in person.
The event kicked off with speeches from IRIS organizers, Mayor Justin Elicker and Senator Richard Blumenthal. Then, at 10 a.m., the crowd stepped forward in unison. The throng quickly thinned as some runners burst ahead of the pack, dashing out of sight. Others hung back at a leisurely pace, guiding children, walking dogs and engaging in cheerful conversation.
“The run is like a fabulous international welcome,” said Ann O’Brien, director of community engagement at IRIS. “The people at the front of the race are serious runners, and everyone else is there to show support in welcoming immigrants, so it’s much more like a celebration than an intense run.”
The event abounded in revelrous spirit: laughter, chanting and the beat of drums reverberated through East Rock Park.
For some participants, the run was also an opportunity for reflection. Chris French attended for the first time this year because his daughter interned for IRIS. According to French, he signed up to support his daughter, but ended up considering topics in immigration that he does not typically think about as he walked.
For Aniko Szabo, IRIS employment services manager and longtime attendee, the event is a display of community solidarity.
“The run brings so many people together and every year it just gets bigger and bigger,” Szabo said. “I think people don't always have an outlet to express themselves. So this is a very nice thing that brings people together to express themselves in their support for refugees.”
The run is also integral to raising awareness about refugee and immigrant issues, volunteer Bill Dennett said. He started volunteering in 2021 in response to the crisis in Afghanistan and primarily hopes that the run will alert more people to the issue.
The money raised by the run will cover a slate of services for refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants. The funds will be distributed across a range of programs including housing, ESL classes, legal aid, education and employment programs, Malik said. The money fills in gaps for both emergency situations and standard maintenance fees, O’Brien added.
“The funds raised go toward things that we cannot get any government grants or private grants for,” O’Brien said. “It's for things that clients need on short notice, that nobody else will pay for. For example, families that came really quickly this fall from the Afghan evacuation arrived before any government support showed up. We had to rent apartments, feed people, get them clothes and diapers for the kids at a moment's notice. These funds provide that sort of emergency cover.”
Above all, the run is a demonstration of empathy, runner Maman Cooper said, smiling as she stopped to take a picture of a roadside IRIS “All Are Welcome Here” sign.
According to Cooper, witnessing the community having fun, braving the cold and caring for other people’s experiences was an “overwhelmingly amazing experience.”
Sunday was the first time in 16 years that it has snowed during the run.