On the fall morning of Saturday, Oct. 25, St. Olaf students gathered on the Quad in preparation for the St. Olaf Sexual Assault Resource Network’s (SARN) annual Strides for Change 5K. SARN sponsors the annual 5K event to raise awareness and money for domestic violence prevention. This year, SARN collected donations for both Protect Minnesota, an organization that works to prevent gun violence, and the Hope Center, which works to offer direct support to victims of domestic violence in Rice County.
SARN is a student-run confidential student resource network on campus. SARN works to provide support to victims of sexual assault, abuse, and violence, as well as raise awareness through advocacy work.
In an interview with The Olaf Messenger, SARN Advocate and Co-Chair Ebba Nordstrom ’27 said that the 5K was a way to raise money for important local organizations and to increase student awareness about SARN’s presence on campus and its services.
Nordstrom described this year’s event as a “success,” with engaged and high student turnout, and said that this event is both educational and symbolic. Students ran in community and solidarity with SARN and their fellow students while learning about sexual assault and violence through signs placed along the 5K’s path.
After a journey through the fall foliage of the Natural Lands, participants were greeted with coffee and donuts to encourage celebration and to foster community.
For Nordstrom and other SARN advocates, the annual 5K provides an opportunity for St. Olaf students to show their support for this essential student support service. Additionally, this event worked to give back to the local Northfield community by collecting donations for the Hope Center and Protect Minnesota.
