Community Stars of the Week: Mariners Run for Unity

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With issues of social injustice rising to the forefront in the spring, Reece Nugent and his two close friends, Dreanne Joseph and Griffin Wei, felt compelled to get involved.
Reece, who had attended an International Spanish Academy since kindergarten and grown up in a diverse area, wanted to take further initiative. So while participating in remote learning for the final stretch of their junior year at Southampton High School, he, Dreanne and Griffin brainstormed ways to help contribute and that would have an impact to promote peace and inclusion within their community.

Their idea was to start a scholarship for students of color. The path to get there was a 2.28 mile run and virtual fundraiser.
"Reece really wanted to do more," Reece's mother Jeanine Nugent explained. "So, he and two friends started talking and they were like 'Let's use this momentum and do something that we know we can do.' Which was using their social media, using their athletics. They cared about being heard and mobilizing."
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Within a week, their idea of a virtual fundraising run and a scholarship foundation - that followed safe social distancing guidelines - was polished and pitched to school faculty, administrators and the district superintendent. The event, Mariners Run for Unity, was scheduled for July 5 at the Southampton High School track as a headquarters with the option to complete remotely. The students and staff promoted it via social media and the website the students created.
"Their intention was we all need to recognize that we're in this together," Jeanine said. "It's a small community and we need to focus on the marginalized and the people of color."
The students estimated their 'lofty goal' to be about $5,000 and were enthused with their final sum of $8,000.
As the trio prepare for their final year of high school, they're still planning on creating a few events during the 2020-21 school year and aspire to maintain the event and scholarship into their college years with the help of their current faculty advisors.
"They're going to keep the advisors on board," Jeanine said. "They're going to develop what the scholarship looks like and how you apply for it. It'll be focused on community service, academic performance and leadership. They hope to have it established and hope to continue. They can appoint kids that will continue student liaisons in the next couple of years and then they can, even remotely from college, always have a foot in it and be a part of the graduation where they honor the student. So, the hope right now is this is great, but how can we move it forward?"
Stay updated with how Reece, Dreanne and Griffin plan future upcoming events via their website and more information on how you can donate or get involved.
Top photo courtesy of marinersrunforunity.com