For the 34th time, students from the University of Pittsburgh’s Beta and West Virginia University’s Lambda Omicron chapters of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity will hold their annual Run from Pitt fund-raiser.

Benefiting the Autism Society of Pittsburgh, the 70-mile run takes place on Route 19 between Morgantown and Pittsburgh, ending up at the home team’s stadium. Because of traffic concerns, the run takes place the day before the game and will start from the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh this year.

“We run this, rain or shine,”said Crystal Canterbury, first vice president of membership of the Lambda Omicron chapter.

The run itself is undertaken in relay fashion.

“A student will run for a couple hundred yards and get in a car as the next person will take over,”Canterbury said.

Money is raised through sponsors giving donations to either chapter, she said, adding that the Lambda Omicron chapter hopes to raise more than the $1,000 it collected in last year’s run.

Autism is a severe communication and behavioral disorder. The lifelong disability typically appears during the first three years of life and occurs in about 20 of 10,000 individuals. A neurological disorder, autism may occur by itself or in association with other disorders that affect the function of the brain.

Alpha Phi Omega is a coed service fraternity founded in 1925 in the fellowship of principles derived from the Scout Oath and Law of the Boy Scouts of America: to develop leadership, promote friendship, provide service to humanity and further freedom.

For more information about the run, contact Canterbury at either 304-293-3071 or aporun2003@yahoo.com .

Another charitableactivity planned leading up to the WVU -Pitt game is the second annual Backyard Brawl”Out for Blood!”campaign to raise blood for the American Red Cross. RUN FROM PITT /2 WVU and Pitt will hold blood drives throughout the week, and the school that collects the most red stuff will receive a trophy during halftime of the game, which begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, said Crystal Bennett, donor resources assistant for the Red Cross, Greater Alleghenies Region.

WVU will have two blood drives during the week. One will be 1-7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, in Lyon Tower’s Gold Room. The second drive, sponsored by the Mountaineer Maniacs, will be noon-6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, in the Mountainlair Gold Ballroom. WVU employees and students are encouraged to show their school spirit for a worthy cause.

For more information about the event, call the American Red Cross, Greater Alleghenies Region, at 1-800-732-0383.