Houghton College’s recreation department program planning class is hosting a 5K Fun Run on April 2. The race starts at 3 pm and the Field of Dreams. Sign in begins at 1:45 pm the day of the event. There is a suggested donation of $10 with the cash or check collected at the time of the event. All proceeds from this event are being donated to Allegany County Cancer Services (ACCS).
Events created through the program planning class start as assignments from assistant professor in the department of sport recreation and wellness Laura Alexeichik. She encourages them to be creative and to think about events that will appeal to what those in the Houghton community want or need. “Through this class my students are learning the details of creation, design, and the employment of events. It’s difficult to plan successful events,” Alexeichik said.
Bridget Dowling ‘17, a recreation equestrian performance major involved in the planning of this event, said, “The event planning process started with a group of students [in the program planning class] getting together and wanting to make a difference in Houghton’s local community.” When asked how the group came up with the charitable aspect of the event, fellow program planning classmate, Rebecca Rex ‘18, a recreation equine management major with minors in business, psychology and equine therapies, explained that they wanted to make the event more immediate to their participants. “The majority of our program planning class has had at least one family member, or close friend, battle cancer,” said Rex. “After looking at the charities in and around Allegany County we decided that ACCS would be best because it has established an intimate impact on the community.” Dowling agreed, adding that, “ACCS was the perfect charity to donate to because they are Allegany County based.”
Rex also sees this event as a way to cultivate her event planning skills. “This is for a great cause as well as allowing us to further our education,” she said. “The skills we have gained and sharpened through this course will allow us to be better professionals in our work fields.”
Other students in the program planning class have events coming up as well. These events include a Magic: The Gathering card tournament in Wellsville on April 1, a scavenger hunt called the “Highlander Hunt” on April 23 from 2-4 pm, and Boces Sports Spectacular on Friday, April 21. Boces Sports Spectacular has been an annual event where Houghton’s program planning class works with boce schools from all over Allegany County to engage kids from this area. There will be pony rides, canoeing, rock climbing, human bowling, and much more.
Alexeichik see this as a valuable experience for the students in her class. “I love seeing students grab ahold of these opportunities, taking what they learn in class and getting excited about planning events. Impacting the community.”
Rex and Dowling both hope for a good turnout on April 2. Dowling said, “It is open to everyone! You can walk, run, hop, skip or jump your way to the finish line!”
For more information and to register online go to www.houghton.edu/5k/.