GCC senior putting together last fundraiser before graduation

By: Ted Sarneso
Friday, May 16, 2025 | 9:30 PM

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After a successful 5K walk last year that saw her raise more than $8,000 for a worthy cause, Greensburg Central Catholic senior Sasha Hoffman said there was only one thing she would have changed for this year.

“I wanted to start the planning process a lot earlier so that I wasn’t left with Mother’s Day as the only day left in which to host the event,” Hoffman said.

This year, she was able to secure the Sunday after Mother’s Day, May 18, as the day to hold her second 5K run/walk to support Light of Life Rescue Mission located in Pittsburgh’s North Shore.

The event again will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at Activity Center 20, Pavilion 7 at Twin Lakes Park in Greensburg.

“There weren’t as many people as I was hoping for last year, and hopefully with us not being on a holiday weekend we can get a bigger turnout this year,” Hoffman said.

Over the last two years, Hoffman has spent a substantial portion of her free time volunteering at various outlets across the area.

She started small with events at her church, then began working at the Westmoreland Food Bank. In 2023, she organized a clothing drive for the Westmoreland Women’s shelter.

The majority of her volunteer work has been spent at Light of Life, where she spends two hours every Sunday.

Over the years, she has orchestrated clothing drives, put together care packages via money donated through a GoFundMe page and worked in the offices.

But once she turned 18 this past summer, she was able to help out even more by becoming a registered volunteer.

“I had to wait before I could volunteer in their ministries,” Hoffman said. “I had to be 18 to work with people, serve food and some of the hospice work. I always tried to pick up a shift either in the kitchen preparing the food or serving it.”

Light of Life provides food and emergency shelter for those living on the street and offers programs that assist those with mental health issues, which is an overlooked cause for homelessness.

They also provide programs for women who are suffering from domestic abuse and addiction as well as for the children who are affected by such situations.

“I chose to organize this race to advocate for those often overlooked by society,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman is a standout student, compiling a 4.7 fourth-quarter GPA and a four-year cumulative GPA of 4.4. She is also a stellar tennis and track and field athlete.

She is attending the University of Chicago in the fall and will major in molecular engineering on a pre-medicine track and will also be a member of their track and field program.

She spent a lot of her spare time this past summer and during the school year volunteering at Light of Life and volunteered three days a week at Caring Hospice Services of Western PA in Monroeville, where she gave reports on multiple patients.

So, with her busy schedule as a high school senior, Hoffman knew she needed to not just be better on the planning stage, but to reach out for assistance getting things rolling.

“I feel I’ve made better decisions as far as planning goes,” Hoffman said. “I’ve reached out to my friends at school and got their help to go around to businesses because I was busier this year with athletics and academics and I’m also taking EMT classes, which take up a few days out of my week.”

Hoffman also reached out to running companies in Pittsburgh to see if they were interested and made inquiries to see if the Seton Hill and Saint Vincent track teams would be interested in attending.

“I know Light of Life did a 4.12K last year, and I reached out to some of the businesses that donated then to see if they were willing to donate again,” Hoffman said.

“One huge difference this year was I made sure I had a sponsorship agreement form, which I didn’t realize last year that was something I needed until after I sent my initial emails to businesses,” Hoffman said.

“I even called a few people, which was something different from last year. I still did the same thing where I showed up to businesses and gave them forms and flyers. My main goal was focusing on how to get more people to attend the event.”

Once again, there will be a raffle after the walk, where gift cards and other donations from local businesses and restaurants can be won.

Hoffman received gift cards from Juniper Grill, Kitchen on Penn, First Watch, Mr. Tire and something from Burgh, Bits and Bites Food Tour, among others. Those will be raffled off after the 5K.

She also received raffle donations from a racing company in Pittsburgh and Steel City Billboards.

Just like they did last year, Eat’n Park donated cookies, and Ready Nutrition supplied sports drinks to be enjoyed by participants after the walk.

Hoffman will also be running a bake sale to tie in with the event.

“I did a bake sale separately to raise funds, so it wasn’t really tied in with the 5K,” Hoffman said. “I’ll probably run that bake sale either in my neighborhood or at my school because every little bit helps.”

What: 5K run/walk to support Light of Life Rescue Mission

When:9 a.m.-noon Sunday

Where: Twin Lakes Park, Greensburg. Activity Center 20, Pavilion 7.

Registration fee: $25 and includes a shirt.

To register and donate: secure.qgiv.com/event/5ktohelpthehomless2025/

Additional information can be found on the 5K’s Facebook group page at facebook.com/share/4DCtEB7DpPDcXKjP/?mibextid=K35XfP

Tags: Greensburg C.C.