By Michael Morton
The event, in its ninth year, collected more than $25,000 last spring, with a goal of $30,000 this time around for the several hundred walkers who showed up.”It's a good cause,” said Shoaib Sharief of Floral Park, a senior at the school and a first-time participant. “You have to sacrifice your own time for people who are less fortunate.”The walk was sponsored by the university's Campus Ministry Office and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Organizers collected a $10 registration fee from each participant, plus any donations or sponsorship from family and friends they may have received. The money was earmarked for organizations around the city helping the homeless.The walk, which this year followed a five-mile route up Utopia Parkway to Bayside and back down 73rd Avenue, also raises awareness, those involved said.”It makes people notice,” said Tori Migliore of the university's Campus Ministry Office, referring to passersby who query the marchers about what they are up to. “People ask questions, then the conversations start to go.”After registering, participants sat down in the university's new St. Thomas More church to receive a blessing before the walk. Speakers stressed that Jesus encouraged his followers to help the less fortunate.”There is power and meaning in this experience,” said Paula Migliore, who worked with her sister in the Campus Ministry Office to organize the event, the first time either had done so. “You are not here by coincidence.” The day of the walk was also Good Friday, a day of reflection on the meaning of sacrifice for many.”It refocuses you on Easter weekend,” said Geraldine O'Brien of New Hyde Park, a graduate student who has walked in the event every year since 1998. “You get up and you sacrifice your morning and your time, but other people sacrifice so much more.”Reach reporter Michael Morton by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
