In April, Design Science participated in the 3^rd Annual Big Red Run at Ridley Creek State Park in Media, PA. The 5K event helped raise money for the Brandywine Valley Hemophilia Foundation, which uses the money to fund research towards better treatments and progression towards a cure. Nine of Design Science’s employees (Carrie Davidson, Zaheer Elly, Megan Findlay, Jennifer Galindo, Neil Mejia, A’Brianna Morgan, Teagan Oliver, Peter Sneeringer, and Chad Uy) came out to participate in the event. In addition to helping a good cause, we enjoyed the physical challenge and saw six DS-ers place in the top 3 of their respective age groups. Chad Uy was declared the overall winner of the 5K with a time of 17:32. Here are 3 takeaways from the event:

1. Supporting local organizations is rewarding.

During the post-race festivities, several hemophilia patients spoke and expressed their gratitude to everyone that came out in support. Hearing everyone’s account of what this support means to them was so gratifying and, in my opinion, the best part of the event. The event, in its largest turnout ever, raised $31,305 eclipsing its goal by more than $6,000. The money raised will be used to for researching treatment methods and providing support to patients with bleeding disorders. If you’re interested in donating to this cause, please visit http://brandywinehemophilia.org/donate.html.

2. Team bonding with coworkers is important.

Like many offices, it’s rare that we get the opportunity to spend time together outside of the office other than through the occasional happy hour or office party. Although these are certainly fun ways to get to know coworkers, the unique atmosphere of a racecourse affords new opportunities for team bonding. For example, as some of more experienced DS runners finished the race, they made their way back down the course to cheer on fellow coworkers as they made their way to the finish line. As a novice runner, hearing these cheers of support helped push me as I made my way down the home stretch.

3. Events are a good way to spread awareness and learn about new opportunities to get involved.

In addition to supporting the Brandywine Hemophilia Foundation, the event gave Design Science the opportunity to meet members of the hemophilia community and share how they can get involved with our research. We frequently work with hemophilia patients and caregivers so we are always looking for ways to broaden our network by building relationships in our community. If you’re interested in signing up to participate in future research projects, please fill out this short survey.