TASH’s 14th annual Ole 5K in North Park sets fundraising record

TASH’s 14th annual Ole 5K in North Park raised a record $98,000 for its charitable work in Mexico.

The race took place the morning of Oct. 8 at the Harmar Grove Pavilion.

TASH is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that has worked across the border since 1998. It aims to bridge the community of Pittsburgh with the people in Mexico.

Pete Noll, a 1992 graduate of Quaker Valley High School, it its executive director. He has lived in Oaxaca, Mexico, for the past two decades. He comes back to the U.S. several times a year.

Noll said there were 420 runners this year. Jaxon Schoeder, 15, of Bessemer, set a new course record with a time of 16:18.

There were 66 sponsors, including John Marshall’s Catering, which donated a taco bar. Lady Blue Coffee also contributed and there was a 50-50 raffle.

“We had a good turnout from both Sewickley sponsorships and race participants,” Noll said. “Last year, we raised $45,000 with 40 sponsors. The original goal (this year) was $75,000. My three-year goal is to get us to a $100,000 race. So, we almost made it there in year two.”

Noll said the event would not be a success without its volunteers and supporters.

“I believe a core group of people get involved to support the work in Oaxaca, Mexico, and to build a bond with the Ole 5k community,” he said. “We have been working on the sponsor angle, so this year we held our first ever sponsor Happy Hour, so that was a new perk.

“But I believe the No. 1 reason people support our cause is the trust in the leadership, starting with (the Rev.) Scott Seethaler, the TASH board, and now me, as I am in my third year,” Noll said. “I am the ‘boots on the ground,’ as I have 20 years living and working in Latin America.

“So people know that their donations are being put to good work even thousands of miles away. I suspect some come out for a nice flat run, a Mexican buffet, and smoothies.”

Seethaler was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1969 and is a member of the Capuchin-Franciscan Order.

TASH’s mission is to “seek to make strategic investments in locally based, holistic nonprofit organizations in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.”

Noll said the focus is primarily in the areas of health care, nutrition, food security, social services and primary education aimed at economically vulnerable families and communities.

The race director was Charley B. Gates. The next Ole 5K is set for Oct. 7, 2023, in North Park.

More information about the organization is available at tashinc.org.