500 expected to run walk or roll at MSU 5K fundraiser for students with disabilities

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Saturday morning the Michigan State University Tower Guard is hosting its largest annual fundraiser, the Shamrock 5K.

The student-organization works with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities by making campus more accessible to students living with disabilities.

Auditorium Road is the start line for the Shamrock 5K where around 500 people will come out to run, walk, or roll for a cause. The Shamrock 5k hopes to raise around $20,000 for the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities Program.

Michael Hudson, Director of Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, explains “I happen to be blind. So I deeply appreciate the work of the Tower Guard.” Hudson is an MSU alumn and says “I know firsthand that having access to simple things like a textbook, isn’t a given when you don’t see the book.”

His Spartan heart hasn’t kept him away and he’s not letting his disability get in his way. Hudson says Tower Guard has advanced opportunities like switching to a digital format allowing students to hear textbooks read aloud when they can’t see the pages.

Hudson says “coming to a big campus like MSU can be a scary thing when you can’t see it or you have another disability challenge.”

Tower Guard serves just under 3,000 MSU students registered with RCPD. They can continue to help those with disabilities both seen and unseen through this fundraiser.

Sabrina Seldon, an MSU Sophomore, serves on the Tower Guard Eboard and as Public Relations Chair says “anything that we can raise money for them and we can treat them as normal students who are just out there having fun.” The donations provide assistive technology, audiovisual educational materials, leadership development, career readiness opportunities, and scholarships.

The program can also help students feel more connected to their classmates. Hudson explains “having the tower guard welcome you and help you solve problems and partnership with the resource center, it’s just tremendous. And makes a big campus feel small.”

You can sign up to run, walk or roll the day of the race. The cost is $35 per person. 100 percent of the proceeds go toward RCPD opportunities for students with disabilities.

The race starts Saturday at 10 a.m. at The MSU Auditorium on Farm Lane and Auditorium Road, continues down the Red Cedar River, loops around Demartin Soccer Stadium, back down the Red Cedar Path, and finishes at the auditorium.

Tower Guard members are also hosting free Beaumont Tower Tours on campus before and after the Shamrock 5K.

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