News - September 29, 2009

SUF students lend strong support in marathon against breast cancer

SU Florence students turned out in large numbers to participate in the seventh Corri La Vita, the annual Florentine marathon to raise money in the fight against breast cancer. Twenty-three students manned the refreshment tables through the SUF Volunteer Program with Coordinator Vittoria Tettamanti and Maibritt Handberg, passing out beverages and fresh fruit slices to thousands of participants for the duration of the race. Twenty-nine students actually ran in the marathon, for a total involvement of fifty-four members from the SUF community.

Says Tettamanti, “This experience was a full immersion into the Italian culture for our students. They found themselves in the midst of a somewhat chaotic and noisy atmosphere, but with an extraordinary amount of good will all around. I felt very proud to have on hand such a large group of students so generous with their time and energy.” Tettamanti said the high turn-out was also thanks to SUF Patron Elisabeth Resnick, who was helpful in spreading the word among SUF students and generating a lot of enthusiasm for the event.

Caroline Thielenhaus, Syracuse University, says, “Volunteering at the Corri La Vita was quite an experience and we were all glad to lend a hand in the fight against breast cancer. Although the event at times seemed somewhat unorganized and confusing, it was all perfectly ordinary for the participants, who remained enthusiastic and appreciative throughout the event.” Thielenhaus went on to note that many of the women, even after having run the 12 kilometers, appeared as though they had walked straight out of a fashion shoot, not appearing to have wasted a single drop of sweat. “Overall, the event was a great way to dive into the midst of Italian culture.”