Students gear up for third annual Arch March on Sunday
By Caroline Ruhl, Arch March co-chair
Rain, sleet, snow, or shine, hundreds of University of St. Thomas students will gather in front of the university at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 5, and walk the 3.2 miles along the Mississippi River to the Ronald McDonald House near the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
The third-annual walk takes students from St. Thomas' landmark, Summit Avenue arches to the golden arches of the Ronald McDonald House; Arch March, as it has been named, is being held to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House.
This year, the Arch March Committee is reaching out to the local community to join the hundreds of faculty, staff and students. Comprised of students from various campus clubs and organizations, the committee is spearheaded by the St. Thomas American Marketing Association.
Audrey Hoefer, Mandy Kruger, Carrie Ruhl and Megan Skrove are the four co-chairs of this year's event, which they hope will be the biggest march yet. With two more clubs sponsoring this year's event than in 2008, the amount of participants is expected to rise along with donations. Joining the American Marketing Association as sponsors this year are the Financial Management Association, Freshman Class Council, Gamma Sigma Sigma and Students for Human Resource Management.
The charity walk was started three years ago by students Gregory Cattan and Bridget Jewell to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House, a home away from home for families with ill children. Many of these families are forced to relocate to the Twin Cities while the children are being treated. These families do not have the resources to find housing for months on end; therefore the Ronald McDonald House is a great place for them to stay.
The St. Thomas students not only want to raise money, but also awareness of pop-tab collections, a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald House in Minneapolis is able to lodge 48 families on a given night, while providing a community of support and encouragement for families facing tremendous challenges.
"Kids have always made you smile, now you can help make them smile!" Come join the third annual Arch March. More information is available at www.stthomas.edu/clubs/ama.
