On October 3, The Oasis hosted their annual Dead Last 5K where participants not only fundraised, but were chased by zombies as well.
Zombie runs have been growing in popularity ever since the first. Superintendent Dr. Catherine Finger, the event’s organizer, was a strong advocate for bringing it to Grayslake.
“[Zombie runs are] a fun, very different way of looking at a fundraiser. It took a couple years for people to support the notion. Three years ago, we had all of the stars align,” Finger said.
The objective of the zombie run is to remain alive throughout the race’s duration. Runners are given three flags, and to survive, they must dodge zombie attacks and have at least one flag left at the end.
“The biggest attraction is the zombies. We have high school kids from both of our schools, and they dress up. We have our theater students present, and they do zombie makeup for the kids. The zombies’ job is to lurch after [the runners],” Finger said.
The Oasis is a privately run, local hangout where kids come to do homework, listen to music, and have fun .
“The Oasis is a wonderful teen center. Every year we have between 18,000 to 20,000 kids come through the doors,” Finger said.
The Dead Last 5K is not the only fundraiser that contributes funding to The Oasis.
“They also do a golf outing, rib throwdown, car show and the zombie run,” said associate superintendent Michael Zelek.
The teen center not only uses these events to fundraise, but also to raise awareness for its impact on the community.
“[The 5K] raises awareness about The Oasis to a different demographic of people. Introducing our mission to new families is very important to us,” said Oasis correspondent Greg Henkin.