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Alumni run raises scholarship funds

(Photo by Whitney Young) Students and community members ran in the 5K sponsored by the Young Alumni Association to raise funds for scholarships on Saturday. Participants’ children could run in the “Kids K.”

The Weber State University Young Alumni Association hosted a 5K jog and walk for both adults and children to raise money for student scholarships on Saturday.

After signing up, participants awoke to meet at the Lindquist Alumni Center at 8:30 a.m. to participate in a family-inclusive event, open to both WSU and the surrounding community, in order to raise funds for future WSU students. Adults paid $20 to participate and their children participated in a free “Kids K,” which consisted of one lap around the practice field on the WSU Ogden campus.

The Young Alumni Association sponsored the event. The mission of the Young Alumni Association is to strengthen the connection between members of the WSU campus and the community by encouraging and participating in leadership, mentoring, service and networking opportunities.

“The Young Alumni Association is totally based on scholarships and getting students involved with the community and different events like this,” said Justin Voorhees of the Young Alumni Association.

Voorhees was responsible for setting up the event.

“All of the proceeds from this go directly to scholarship funds, so that’s primarily what this is set up for.”

In exchange for the $20 fee for the race entry, adults also received free T-shirts and a pancake breakfast held at the end of the event. Children who attended also received free T-shirts and breakfast. Voorhees talked about the association’s desire to include children, who are often left on the sidelines of WSU events.

“They got to come out and enjoy it and not be excluded,” he said. “They got to do their own little run, they got individual prizes, and it seemed like it turned out really good. It was a really good event for the kids.”

Children who participated were given footballs, foam fingers and other prizes. More prizes were given out to adult participants as part of a raffle they entered before the race. Numerous prizes were given out to many of the participants for nearly 30 minutes after the race ended.

The cost for attendance was $15 for current WSU students. One of these students, Traci Lundquist, talked about the benefits she saw in participating.

“First of all,” Lundquist said, “feeling good because of the run, always the runner’s high, and also feeling good putting at least a tiny bit of money toward fellow students.”

According to Voorhees, more than 60 adult runners and around 20 children participated in the run this year. This turnout is a quadrupling of last year’s.

With the perceived success of this year’s event, the Young Alumni Association wants to expand 5K events to include more sports and recreational facilities on campus and host more events that will encourage families and children in the community to participate.

Lundquist said she wants to participate in more 5K events around campus and the community.

“I’m just starting to,” she said. “I’ve only done a couple of 5Ks; hopefully I’m going to do more. I really enjoy it.”

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