This 5k run raises money for the charity or institution of your choice through a combination of corporate sponsorship and race registration fees. You will find developing a 5k run is a time and capital intensive process, with some variation depending on the scope of your program.

You can choose a small, school-wide run as a fundraiser for your chapter or a city-wide project as a community service fundraiser. For large fundraisers, your selected charity can be an immense help. A pediatric hospital, for example, may offer to print your literature and handle the cost of your mailings. In addition, a large institution may have a special events coordinator to provide assistance and resources.

Underwriting this event will take from $3,000 to $10,000 so sponsorship is key. Your initial cash outlay will be at least $2,000 to cover expenses such as T-shirts for each registrant, race site rental, advertising, race numbers, etc. You should try to get essential material donated so you do not have to buy it. Donations are especially helpful with the following:

Food and related items, i.e, fresh fruit, yogurt, gatorade, water, napkins, utensils and cups. Door prizes like movie tickets and dinners at local restaurants.

Have an area sporting goods or runners' specialty store donate your race packets and act as a packet pickup location.

Your run can be held anywhere. A local public park with a track of certified distance is desirable as an alternative to city streets which require special permits and the cost of police officers to redirect traffic. In either case you will need course security which, if you do not hold a street race, may be filled by individuals who are not police officers. Other event logistics include:

Medical services - drum up volunteers through your medical school.

A public address system to line the course. A sufficient number of restrooms - if your location lacks them, budget for porta-potty rental.

If your run is to be a race and not a fun run, with awards recognizing the best times, then you need to obtain the following:

Race insurance from USA Track and Field.

Race numbers for each runner (also useful when drawing door prizes).

Trophies of some kind (it is customary to award trophies/pins three places deep for each age category). An experienced and competent individual to handle the finish line (you can hire companies to do this).

Good advertising is the next step to a successful event. If your budget permits, you can hire a graphics company to produce your brochure, or you can produce your own flyers with the help of a knowledgeable computer person. Prepare a press release which you can send to all the local newspapers, radio and TV stations (for a template, look in the appendix, "Tips for Promoting Your Public Service Program").

On the morning of the run you will need many volunteers. You should solicit them well in advance of the run. Suggested committee designations include:

A registration committee

A food/beverage/product setup committee

A course committee

An advertising committee

The chairs of each of these committees will take charge of their various responsibilities so that you, as race coordinator, can run around and put out all the fires which will arise on race day.

You may want to try and establish your run as an annual event: not only will you get much more efficient in putting on a large event but also the run itself will draw more participants as word gets around the running community.

Target Audience: The running public.

Participating Groups: The AMA-MSS chapter.

Budget: $3,000 to $10,000 (see description).

Funding Sources: This is an expensive project so pursuing a number of different funding sources is recommended. These include: AMA-MSS Policy Promotion Grant, Your state and county medical societies, Corporate sponsorship, Local business sponsorship

School: University of Texas Southwestern Medical School Dallas, TX

This program is a great opportunity for members of your chapter to serve patients in a nonclinical setting. You can start by contacting the pediatric hospital in your area and checking to see if they have a children's carnival (or similar event). The carnival is an opportunity to provide disabled children who are patients at the hospital with carnival activities designed specifically for them.

You will need to set up a minimum of ten games and activities as booths in an appropriate area at the hospital, with refreshments adjacent to the carnival stations. It is important to include the families of the children.

Corporate sponsorship will not be difficult to solicit, given the nature of the event. You can work with hospital staff to determine the appropriateness of the activities for the patients. To complete the program, you need to prepare evaluations which can be mailed to the patients' families after the carnival.

Target Audience: Disabled children who are pediatric inpatients.

Participating Groups: The AMA-MSS chapter.

Budget: Building carnival stations $400, Food and refreshments $200, Door prizes $50, Total $650

Funding Sources: AMA-MSS Policy Promotion Grant, The Public Service Company of New Mexico

School: University of New Mexico School of Medicine Albuquerque, NM

Through this program, your chapter can donate discarded medical journals to organizations which distribute them to the overseas medical community. You should start by arranging collection of old medical journals from the medical students and, if practical, the physicians in your community. A flyer can be posted identifying the time and place medical professionals can drop off their medical journals. These can be shipped to a number of different organizations that distribute medical publications abroad (see below). Most require or prefer journals not more than five years old.

Target Audience: Your medical student and physician community.

Participating Groups: The AMA-MSS Chapter.

Budget: Shipping costs only and these are variable, depending on how many journals are collected. The Mercer AMA-MSS chapter collected nearly 100 pounds of journals and their expenses were less than $60 for UPS shipping (Mercer worked with International Book Project, Inc.).

Funding Sources: AMA-MSS Policy Promotion Grant.

School: Mercer University School of Medicine Macon, GA

The state of North Carolina has a program called Adopt - A - Highway. One of the local AMA-MSS chapters adopted a 2 mile stretch of highway near the school which they agreed to clean up four times a year. The state supports these efforts by providing two signs with the name of the volunteer organization on them to mark their stretch of highway. Four times a year about 20 chapter members go out and clean up the highway, with the added benefit of recycling any glass or aluminum collected.

A similar program is in place in Minnesota. Contact your state's department of transportation to see if such a program is available and, if not, to generate interest in starting one.

Target Audience: The target audience is primarily the general public where the school is located, to let them know that medical students are concerned about the appearance of their state and committed to preserving the environment.

Participating Groups: The AMA-MSS Chapter.

Budget: No funds are needed.

Funding Sources: Not applicable.

School: East Carolina University School of Medicine Greenville, NC