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Faculty > Sport Management students raise money for local non-profit
Sport Management students raise money for local non-profit
May 16, 2016
Glen Wintrup, Ph.D., assistant professor of sport management, partnered with the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement’s Assistant Director for Service-Learning Wendy Denton, to provide students with a practical learning approach by organizing a fundraising event for a local Youth-at-Risk charity program. Utilizing the material taught in Wintrup’s class lectures, one hundred students in the Introduction to Sport Management course, many of whom are freshmen, held water pong, volleyball, dodgeball, basketball and baseball events throughout March and April to raise money and collect items for the Crossfit Boro Prepared for Anything – Youth Edition program.
“I, and many others, were surprised by the amount of enthusiasm and energy the students put into organizing these fundraising events and stunned that they raised more than just a few hundred dollars,” said Wintrup.
For the project, fourth-year students from other sport management courses volunteered to advise Wintrup’s students on areas from identifying an event to risk management issues and securing sponsors.
“They worked hard and learned a great deal through practical experience about group work, event planning, sponsorship, and marketing. In addition to having professional volunteer experience to put on their resume, some students in the course have already been able to secure job shadowing, internship and employment opportunities through their involvement in the course,” Wintrup continued.
Their efforts raised approximately $2,000 as well as collected clothes (t-shirts and hats) and exercise equipment from donors for the Crossfit Boro Prepared for Anything – Youth Edition program. The program brings together a group of males and females from the Boys and Girls Club of Bulloch County, partnering with CrossFit Boro and Georgia Southern University, to create and lead positive lives that keep the youth connected to academics, the community and their own personal development.
Some of the students who participated in the one-time project have decided to take the initiative and run their fundraising events again on their own next year and Wintrup is confident they will raise even more money for children in need to access structured, organized sport.
Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers approximately 125 degree programs serving nearly 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. GeorgiaSouthern.edu.
