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CoSIDA 5K Results
by Brian Lovellette, Sports Information Director, St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Goodwill and Wellness Committee Member
For the first time in the 10 years of holding a
Community Service project during the CoSIDA Convention, the Goodwill and Wellness Committee decided to bring the project on-site allowing for greater participation from CoSIDA members.
“Every year this is one of the highlights of the convention. We get to work with our colleagues and contribute to giving back to communities,” said Joe Browning, Senior Associate Athletic Director at University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
This year’s project was held on the first day of convention in one of the exhibit halls near registration meaning members could stop by and join in the efforts with ease. The Goodwill and Wellness Committee chose Martha’s Table as this year’s community service project partner.
Martha’s Table is a non-profit organization that works to support stronger children, stronger families, and stronger communities by increasing access to quality education programs, healthy food, and family supports. During this year’s project CoSIDA members put together peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as well as bags of trail mix before delivering the items to the local Martha’s Table shelter. All in all, the CoSIDA Goodwill and Wellness Committee assembled 486 sandwiches and 448 bags of trail mix that were delivered by Martha’s Table to the Washington D.C. area families in need later that night.
Although this years’ service project took place on the opening day of convention the Goodwill and Wellness Committee was not done making a difference. Friday morning, they held their the 2018 CoSIDA/NACADA 5K Fun Run/Walk. This year’s race was held adjacently to the hotel along National Harbor, providing racers with a beautiful view during the race. There were a record 291 people that either walked, ran, or donated to this year’s race; raising $5,379 that were donated to Martha’s Table to help further their programs in assisting the D.C. community. Mark Albanese, from Pacific Lutheran University, was the top male finisher while Mary Kate Curran, of CoSIDA/NACDA, was the top female finisher.
The week wrapped up on Saturday at the CoSIDA Special Awards Luncheon where members of the CoSIDA Volunteer 15 program were recognized. The program, which was launched in 2014, aims at getting CoSIDA members involved in their own communities year-round. Any member that logs 15 or more hours of community service receives recognition in the program. This year the program set a record with 75 members recording over 6300 hours of community service during the 2017-18 academic year.