The Sept. 26 5K at Cape Fear Botanical Garden helps fund educational opportunities for military spouses and children through Friends of Civil Affairs.
You show up before the sun has fully settled into the morning. You check in, stretch, hydrate and get ready to go, focused on the miles ahead and the finish line waiting at the other end. What you may not realize is that while you are preparing to accomplish one goal, your decision to show up could help someone else accomplish theirs.
That is what makes the Around the World Run more than a race.
For Friends of Civil Affairs, every registration, sponsorship and donation helps build the scholarship fund that supports spouses and children in the Civil Affairs community as they pursue their educational goals.
The Around the World Run returns Sept. 26 at Cape Fear Botanical Garden, bringing runners, walkers and supporters together for a 5K that raises money for the Friends of Civil Affairs Scholarship Fund. The live race is also part of Fayetteville’s 48th International Folk Festival, placing the fundraiser inside a weekend centered on community and culture.
“There’s a tangible effect here — that an individual actually benefited, a family benefited financially because somebody participated in this race,” Friends of Civil Affairs President Ernie Sirvas said.
Friends of Civil Affairs, also known as FOCA, supports active-component Civil Affairs soldiers and their families. The organization supports leadership and organizational programs, works to strengthen soldier and family welfare and morale, promotes the active-component Civil Affairs community, administers scholarships and recognizes excellence within Civil Affairs professional military education.
“We’re here for one purpose — to support soldiers,” Sirvas said.
Since around 2007 or 2008, FOCA has awarded more than $140,000 in scholarships. According to Sirvas, approximately $60,000 has also gone toward family-readiness efforts supporting Civil Affairs battalions, while the organization currently distributes roughly $15,000 to $20,000 in scholarships each year.
Those numbers tell a bigger story than what happens during one morning at the Garden.
The race may last a couple of hours, but the money raised continues working long after the course is cleared and the runners have gone home.
For a nonprofit, finding a way to build community while also raising money for the work it exists to do matters.
Money raised comes through race registrations, sponsorships from Fayetteville-area businesses and direct donations to FOCA. The race website says the scholarship fund awards merit- and need-based scholarships to spouses and children.
For FOCA, one of the ways that support continues to grow is through the Around the World Run.
“We’ve done a run for so many years, and that is probably one of our highest revenues,” Sirvas said.
The people who can help support those scholarships are not limited to the military community.
“Everybody can run,” Sirvas said.
That accessibility is one reason the event is held at Cape Fear Botanical Garden rather than on Fort Bragg. Sirvas said hosting the race at the Garden makes it easier for the broader community to connect with the organization and the families it serves.
Race morning reflects that open-door approach.
The in-person 5K is timed, with chip timing available. The route begins at Cape Fear Botanical Garden and uses a mix of road, Cross Creek Linear Park Trail and Cape Fear River Trail. Sirvas described the atmosphere as informal, with a wide range of participants and an event that generally moves from setup through completion within a couple of hours.
“It’s just a lot of fun to run,” he said.
Behind that fun, though, is a lot of work.
Sirvas participates virtually, but on the morning of the live race, he is usually helping make the event happen. He and other board members may be stationed at turnaround points, helping with water, checking the course or stepping into whatever role is needed behind the scenes.
It takes people on the course and people behind it.
The runners and walkers bring the energy. The board members and volunteers help create the experience. Together, they help move the fundraising forward.
The live 5K begins at 8 a.m. Sept. 26 at Cape Fear Botanical Garden. The current in-person registration fee is $45 and increases to $50 beginning Sept. 25. Virtual 5K and 10K options are $40, with virtual registration closing Sept. 23. Registration for the live race remains open through the 8 a.m. start. Racers can register at https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Fayetteville/AroundtheWorldRun
A runner may leave Sept. 26 with a finish time and the satisfaction of completing the course.
Somewhere beyond race day, a Civil Affairs spouse or child may move closer to an educational goal because a community showed up, registered, donated and kept the scholarship fund moving.
That is where the Around the World Run goes farther than the finish line.

(Photo: Participants in the Friends of Civil Affairs Around The World Run in 2024 near the finish line at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden. The run is a fundraiser for scholarships to help out Civil Affairs families, and is a part of the International Folk Festival held in downtown Fayetteville. Photo courtesy of Friends of Civil Affairs)