For 13 hours, Rob Faugno ran 54 miles in the cold, in the rain and through the hills of upstate New York last year to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a nonprofit organization that grants wishes to children diagnosed with life-threatening conditions.

One year later, Faugno is planning the second installment of the event, called Run Rob Run. He was running to honor his sister, a Make-A-Wish recipient, on her 18th birthday.

“As amazing as last year was, it’s unrealistic to think someone’s going to run 54 miles every year,” said Faugno, a senior marketing and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises dual major. “I really wanted to leave behind a philanthropy that was sustainable.”

He and the brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha of Syracuse University are partnering with the brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha of Cornell University to run in shifts for 24 straight hours on Cornell’s Arts Quad, starting this Friday at 10 a.m. Last year, the run raised $30,000, and this year, the brothers of both chapters want to raise that number to $70,000.

Going into this year, Faugno asked his brothers if they wanted to continue to do Run Rob Run, and he got a positive response.

“Everyone just had such a great experience last year that everyone was like, ‘We just want to keep doing this,’” Faugno said. “I’m honored that not only my chapter but the Cornell chapter has really bought into it.”

One of the main reasons the brothers decided to hold the event on the quad was to get more exposure. Last year, Faugno ran most of the 54 miles on backroads, so people couldn’t see him doing the actual running. The brothers are hoping that if people see the event happening, they will be more likely to donate.

“This year, with the event being right in everyone’s face in the Cornell quad, I feel that we’re going to raise a lot more money during the actual event,” Faugno said. “We’re hoping that people who are out enjoying their day are going to see what we’re doing, and it’s going to touch them in some way.”

Faugno said he’s looking forward to Friday’s run and hoping to watch Run Rob Run grow in the future. The brothers hope this philanthropy event will be something they can continue after Faugno graduates.

Farzan Rashid, a senior human biology, health and society major at Cornell and Pi Kappa Alpha’s philanthropy co-chair, said he wanted to leave a legacy behind after he graduated.

“I wanted to leave something behind for future generations that could be like our thing, like our staple every year, ” Rashid said.

Noah Bressman, a senior biology major at Cornell and the other philanthropy co-chair of Cornell’s Pi Kappa Alpha, thinks this run will be successful because so many of the fraternity brothers have running experience.

Several of the brothers, including himself, are prepared to take long shifts because they are a part of Cornell’s Track and Field Club and Running Club.

“What one of the Cornell brothers said to me was, ‘I’m probably not going to remember that sick party we had last weekend 10 years from now, but I will remember this day for the rest of my life,’” Faugno said. “And I think they understand that doing this — running for 30 minutes doesn’t seem like a lot — but collectively what we’re going to do together is going to help change people’s lives.”

Faugno also said that although his first running experience will always hold a special place in his heart, this year it extends far beyond his personal relationship with his sister.

“It’s about how me and my sister’s relationship is just like every Make-A-Wish kid and their siblings,” Faugno said, “because anyone who has ever been a wish kid sibling knows that they are the most inspiring people you will ever meet.”

Published on April 15, 2015 at 9:08 pm

Contact Emma: ekbaty@syr.edu