Despite the rainy weather this spring, staff and students from Ross Medical Education Center campuses in Kalamazoo, Michigan and Portage, Michigan combined efforts and made their way to Homer-Stryker Field in Kalamazoo to help raise money for the homeless. Organizers raised more than $50,000 to help Housing Resources Incorporated, an organization that helps those in need afford housing and avoid being homeless.
The day was a huge success. They had live music, games, the Kalamazoo Growlers baseball team mascot, Porter, to greet and get pictures with children, activities like bounce houses and face painting, and lots of food and drinks! The main fundraising opportunity for the event came from sponsors of runners who agreed to donate a set amount upon completion of the 5k by runners. Though the weather did not want to cooperate with the event that day, this did not deter the Ross team from accomplishing their goal and finishing the race. So the teams from the Kalamazoo and Portage campuses finished the race in the pouring rain, still laughing and having a good time supporting an important cause.
Career Services Student Support Representative Lynn Page was happy to be a part of the events. “Rain, snow, or sunshine, I am just glad that I can help those in need,” she shared. “The experience of walking in the cold and rain made us just that much more empathetic to those who do not have a home to stay warm.”
Housing Resources Incorporated was established in 1982 and has since dedicated their time and effort to finding housing solutions for members of the community that find themselves without a home. They also work with community members in the transition period out of homelessness. The Ross staff and students were proud to support such a wonderful organization and hope to continue to help out in the future and lend a hand to their neighbors in need.