Sarah Fabritiis & Leslie Silverman – HKRS South Philly, PA
How many seasons have you been a Community Coordinator?
(Leslie) Fall ’24 will be our 5th season
(Sarah) We’re going into our 3rd year!
Tell us about yourself! What inspired you to join HKRS?
(Leslie) I’m a mom of three and when my oldest was 3 we enrolled him in HKRS and I just fell in love with it.
(Sarah) We are both local moms that want to give back to our community and provide a space for kids to get active, have fun and promote healthy lifestyles. When the previous coordinator stepped down we knew we had to step up and keep it running!
What is your biggest success as a Coordinator so far (or favorite race day moment)?
(Leslie) Aside from all the amazing race day moments with our runners, I absolutely LOVE the parent mile. All of the kids love to cheer on their grown ups, after their grown ups have cheered them on all season. Another highlight is when we were able to get the philly ball girls to come out.
(Sarah) Managing our largest season ever in spring 2023 with 240 families registered and seeing so many kids participate and have fun.
What makes your community special?
(Leslie) The Families! We have made so many friends and connections through our community.
(Sarah) We are close by to the Philadelphia sports complex and often are able to work with the sports teams on fun initiatives and giveaways! Shout out to the Philadelphia Flyers, Eagles and Phillies!
What is some advice you would like to share with fellow New Community Coordinators?
(Leslie) Focus on your uplifting community to drive the series forward.
(Sarah) Recruit volunteers! It will help with the workload on the day of your races and allow you more time to focus on the big picture needs of your program.
Fun Fact:
(Leslie) The average person’s running stride is about 1.5 times their height.
(Sarah) We accidentally met a 2-time Olympian runner after one of our races, Devon Allen! At the time he was playing on the practice squad for the Philadelphia Eagles and helped us to secure a donation to our program as well as handed out medals to our runners at one of the races! Leslie and I have also started running races around the Philly area together including the Philly 10K, Broad Street Run, Rothman 8K and more to come!
