SUNY Oswego’s 18th Annual United Way Walkathon

Serving the needs of community members is the mission of the United Way of greater Oswego, but collaborative programs like the 18th annual SUNY Oswego United Way Walk-A-Thon serve more than one purpose. The Walk-A-Thon sponsored by SUNY Oswego’s Auxiliary Services, raises not only money for the community but also facilitates the unique opportunity for public relations students who plan and organize the event to get valuable hands-on experience in the field of public relations.

Resource Development Director of the United Way, Lois Luber, “appreciates the tradition of having the Walk-A-Thon each year with SUNY Oswego students”. “Volunteers are vital to the success of United Way programs and the Walk-A-Thon brings new energy, new ideas and new faces together in an effort to help the local community”.

Jordan Tetro is both a student working with her public relations class on the Walk-A-Thon as well as an intern for the United Way. “As students we can appreciate the fact that the Walk-A-Thon serves a great purpose in helping the community, but getting the hands on experience of organizing the event is what pushes us to make the Walk-A-Thon a great success”. “The work we do translates into the real world. The fact that it’s for an organization like the United Way is icing on the cake”.

While most of the participants have been SUNY students, the students are working to have a greater community presence at this year’s event. They have reached out to several community organizations to invite their members to participate. According to Luber, the community support for the United Way is strong throughout Oswego County and with other groups on campus also working to support the campaign in many ways.

The Walk-A-Thon will take place on Saturday, October 17th. The event is being held outside of Lanigan Hall on the SUNY Oswego campus. Registration for the Walk-A-Thon will begin at 12 p.m. The cost is 5 dollars per person, a donation to the United Way. The 5K Walk-A-Thon starts at 1 p.m. This event is organized by SUNY Oswego students and sponsored by SUNY Oswego’s Auxiliary Services. Persons with disabilities who wish to attend this event should call 315-312-3523.

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