On Sunday, April 16, 2023, the seventh Forest Run for a Good Cause took place at Friedensau Adventist University under the patronage of district administrator, Dr. Steffen Burchhardt.
The procedure has been the same since 2014, when the first forest run took place: Every runner who wants to take part in the Forest Run registers via the website, indicating whether it is self-sponsored or who his or her sponsor is. For each lap run, the specified amount of money is then transferred to the donation account within a week, or funds are withdrawn from the runner's own account.
Thirty-three adults and twenty children took part in the 2023 Forest Run. The running lap length this year was 2.5 kilometers for the adult lap and 600 meters for the children's lap. Two firefighters from the Friedensau volunteer fire brigade ran with breathing apparatuses, which was quite a challenge. Nevertheless, all the runners gave their best! After two hours, the race was over, and the award ceremony took place after a short count and the completion of the certificates following the Forest Run.
The students of Friedensau’s School of Theology are the initiators of the Forest Run. The Zabakuck Zoo, which provides work for people with disabilities and runs the zoo with them, was chosen as the project to support for this charity run. The director of the zoo, Juliane Reimann, announced in advance that most of the proceeds would be used for an excursion for the employees, and part of the money would be used to renovate the prairie dog enclosure.
The next Forest Run for a Good Cause will take place on Sunday, April 21, 2024.
More about Friedensau University
Friedensau has been a place of education since 1899. On November 19, 1899, the institute that preceded the university, the “Industry and Mission School,” commenced operations with just seven pupils in very basic conditions. The school was housed in an old mill on the Ihle River.
On September 15, 1990, the Theological Seminary became a state-accredited university following a decision by the Council of Ministers of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Later, a School of Social Sciences was established alongside the School of Theology, which has offered diploma and master’s courses in theology since 1992.
Today, Friedensau Adventist University, as an academically oriented, church-run university, awards university qualifications. Friedensau is an established place of scholarship and has research collaborations linking it with institutions in several continents.
The original version of this story was posted on the Inter-European Division website.