College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. stands with, from left, Lauren Burns ’07, Kellie Coughlin ’07, and Greg Hartwell ’07 at the “Trick or Trot” 5K Run/3K Walk held by students in the Sports Marketing class.

Twenty-five students in the College’s Sports Marketing class have spent countless hours this semester organizing four different sporting events, so far raising more than $10,000 to benefit local charities and organizations in Providence.   

Students who coordinated the sports-related events were divided into groups of five or six and designated specific leadership roles. They planned, organized, and publicized each event, and contacted local businesses to serve as sponsors. They also were required to raise at least $2,000 at each event.

“The workload is tremendous,” said Dr. Daniel R. Horne, assistant professor of marketing, who is in his eighth year of teaching Sports Marketing at PC. “The pressure is huge because they have to run the event and they have to do it right. There is continual work involved.”

The proceeds from the October 29 “Trick or Trot” 5K run/3K walk—which was held on campus and attracted 135 runners—totaled $2,850 and benefited the Ronald McDonald House in Providence.

The class’s second project, the Texas Roadhouse Button Hole Golf Tournament, took place on November 5 at the Button Hole Golf Course in Providence. Open to students, faculty, staff, and alumni, the tourney attracted 66 golfers and raised more than $4,500 to provide scholarships for underprivileged children to play golf and to take lessons. Button Hole is a non–profit initiative run by the Golf Foundation of Rhode Island.

Marketing major Lauren Francis ’06 (Congers, N.Y.), who helped coordinate the golf tournament, noted that her work in the Sports Marketing class was a valuable learning experience. “We worked well as a team,” she said of the six organizers. “Going into the job world, it is important for me to have this experience. It’s important to do things on your own.”  

In hopes of donating money for the Hasbro Children’s Hospital Pediatric Oncology Unit, a group of students from the class organized a basketball tournament, held on November 19 in the Peterson Recreation Center. Featuring 22 teams and approximately 70 participants, the tourney brought in more than $3,000. Raffle tickets were drawn during the tournament for prizes that included Patriots and Red Sox tickets and a baseball signed by Curt Schilling of the Red Sox.

Marketing major Kevin Hanlon ’06 (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), who organized the basketball tournament, noted that planning the event was labor intensive but rewarding. “It was pretty challenging but, in the end, it is going to be very enjoyable to give the money we raised to the hospital,” he said.

The final event, a bowl-a-thon, is scheduled to take place on December 3 and will benefit the Tomorrow Fund at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

— by Mallary Jean Tenore ’07