Carolina Cano Memorial 5K

Race start: coordinating participants, volunteers, and event flow for a large-scale community gathering.

Coordinating a multi-stakeholder community event across government, nonprofit and local partners.

Context

In 2019, Jersey City community member Carolina Cano was tragically killed while out on a run in Lincoln Park. In response, I initiated and led the organization of a memorial 5K to honor her life and bring the community together around awareness and safety.

The event required coordination across public agencies, nonprofit organizations and local residents, as well as careful planning to ensure safety, accessibility and appropriate memorialization.

The Challenge

Designing and delivering a public event of this nature required navigating multiple layers of complexity:

Securing permits and approvals through county and park authorities
Coordinating with city council, local officials and community stakeholders
Managing logistics for a large public event in an active park
Ensuring participant safety and clear communication
Balancing event execution with the emotional and memorial context

This required both operational execution and careful stakeholder management to move the event from idea to reality.

My Role

I served as the sole race organizer, responsible for the full lifecycle of the event:

Initiated the concept and led overall planning and execution
Secured permits and navigated approvals with county and park officials
Coordinated directly with city council members, local government and nonprofits
Partnered with a designer to develop event communications and materials
Organized fundraising efforts, including launching and managing a GoFundMe
Communicated with the family through local community members
Managed event logistics and on-the-ground execution

Approach

1. End-to-End Event Design and Execution

Led the full development of the event from concept through delivery:

Defined goals, structure and participant experience
Coordinated logistics including route planning and event flow
Ensured compliance with permitting and safety requirements

2. Stakeholder Navigation and Alignment

Managed relationships across a complex stakeholder landscape:

Built alignment with county officials to secure park access and scheduling
Coordinated with city council and local representatives
Engaged nonprofit partners, including a local domestic violence and women's safety organization
Maintained communication with community members and the victim’s family

3. Strategic Communication and Outreach

Developed and executed a communication strategy to drive awareness and participation:

Collaborated on flyer and digital asset creation
Leveraged community networks to promote the event
Ensured messaging remained respectful, clear and mission-aligned

4. Mission-Centered Design

Kept the event grounded in its purpose throughout:

Honoring Carolina Cano’s life
Creating a safe, inclusive environment for participants
Supporting awareness around safety and violence prevention

Impact

Successfully designed and executed a community-wide memorial event from concept to delivery
Secured and coordinated across multiple government and nonprofit stakeholders
Brought together residents, advocates, and local organizations
Created a space for remembrance, awareness, and community solidarity
Demonstrated the ability to lead complex, real-world initiatives independently

Selected Artifacts

Carolina Cano Memorial 5K Flyer

Carolina_Run_English_Flyer.pdf

3 MB