BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The annual charitable event kicks off at noon on April 8 and runs for 24 hours as the school and its student-athletes look to raise funds to benefit programs all over campus.
- CSUB's fifth annual Runners Giving Day is set for April 8-9.
- The event encourages alumni, employees, and the community to support student programs.
- To learn how to donate or see how the drive is going, be sure to check out the Runner's Giving Day page on CSU-B's website.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
We are closing in on the start of CSUB's annual Runners Giving Day. I'm Sam Hoyle, your neighborhood reporter. it's a chance where your five dollars can help your favorite CSUB program lock down a helpful prize.
“Last year we had 20 – 24 of our 30 athletes were first-generation student-athletes, and for many of them, most of them, without having this opportunity, they probably would not pursue this,” said wrestling head coach Luke Smith.
The 2024 Runners Giving Day campaign raised over 175 thousand dollars across 891 donors, smashing the previous record set in 2021, but they wound up cutting the challenge short. Now they’re going to let the Bakersfield community run.
“Last year, we had the challenge. It capped out as soon as a team hit that goal. It didn't go the full 24 hours. So we had our women's golf team do exceedingly well, and they hit that goal in the first two hours. So this year, it's about, what can we actually see ourselves do over the full 24 hours. How can our teams compete?” said Gage Fiorentino, CSU-B's Athletics Annual Fund Coordinator
This year, from noon on April 8th to noon on April 9th, donations can be made to each athletics program starting at just $5, to help a sports program that’s changed the lives of many student-athletes like redshirt junior wrestler Richard Castro-Sandoval and senior softball player Karissa Munsey.
“I came up from, from nothing, so like when I started receiving things, it felt more like a blessing. It felt like somebody was watching me. Somebody was taking care of me,” said Castro-Sandoval. “I've learned a lot. I've learned a lot out here. I've gotten to grow up, got to make some mistakes, and I've gotten to even get some roots in while I've been here too.”
“There's been a lot of change, lots of coaches, lots of support staff that I've had, but I'm super grateful for who we have now, and they've made such a difference in our program and who I am personally,” said Munsey.
Each day, student-athletes and their coaches are in the gym, out on the track or the field working to get better every single day, now is a chance to give them that push to get even better.
“just like we expect our athletes to get better every year, we want to get better as coaches, and you don't need money to do that. We need money for other things like uniforms and travel and to get the track, hopefully upgraded one day soon, but we're going to be the best team we can be with what we have, and we are grateful for the opportunities that CSU provides for our student-athletes and us as a staff,” said Marcia Mansur-Wentworth, CSU-B's Director of Track and Field.
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