The Binghamton China Care Club (BCCC) organized the second annual on-campus version of “The Amazing Race” in order to raise money to fund surgeries for orphans in China needing surgical care.
Mariah Haley, the BCCC events coordinator and a senior double-majoring in biology and anthropology, said the $170 would go toward helping impoverished Chinese orphans.
“The money goes directly to the China Care Foundation,” she said. “So the money funds their surgery as well as pre- and post-operative care.”
The race kicked off at 1 p.m. in Johnson Hall in Dickinson Community on Friday. From there, 16 two-person teams used clues to guide them to various locations on campus such as the Glenn G. Bartle Library, the Fine Arts Building and the East Gym track.
Competitors had to complete a variety of challenges, such as solving riddles and feeding hot ramen to a blindfolded teammate.
It concluded at the Events Center, where the contestants had to shake off 15 sticky notes from their bodies. The winning team of Raemer Lapid and Matthew DeCarlo arrived at 2:24 p.m. Each received a $25 VISA gift card for winning.
“It was just a lot of fun,” said DeCarlo, a senior majoring in mathematics. “I mean, being able to run around campus with one of my friends was the best.”
Lapid said it was a good way to round out his college experience.
“I was such a huge fan of watching ‘The Amazing Race’ on TV and when I heard that China Care was running an event based off the show, I figured it would be a fun experience,” said Lapid, a senior double-majoring in chemistry and management. “Since I’m graduating, I wanted to try to do as many fun things as I could.”
The duo credited their victory to their perseverance and the fact that they never slowed down.
“No matter what we were going to keep at least a jogging pace,” Lapid explained. “Also, we made sure to run through different crowds to lose people that might be following us and through different buildings as well.”
According to Haley, BCCC has arranged multiple events for the China Care Foundation in the past, including bake sales and a cappella nights to raise money.
She said the money will also help children during their time at the orphanage and afterward. It will pay for their medical expenses and fund their education after leaving the orphanage. BCCC has funded two surgeries so far.
Haley added that she thinks the BCCC will host The Amazing Race event again in the future.
“All the founding members are Chinese,” Haley said, “and so I think this is something that’s really close to their hearts.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article had switched Raemer Lapid’s and Matthew DeCarlo’s majors. Lapid is a senior double-majoring in chemistry and management and DeCarlo is a senior majoring in mathematics.