Vanderbilt Students for Students will be holding its third annual Mile Bonanza on Wednesday afternoon to raise money for the VSS scholarship fund, which will help a student from Nashville's Pearl-Cohn High School attend college.
The Mile Bonanza takes place at Vanderbilt's recreational center on Natchez Trace and consists of several one-mile races, including an Open Mile, a one-mile race for kids and a sorority/fraternity 4 x 400 meter relay, according to the VSS Web site.
Senior Rob Whiting, a Vanderbilt cross country runner, started VSS when he was a sophomore and explained why the group started the annual running event.
"We wanted to do an event that was not only family-friendly so that Pearl-Cohn could be involved, but also something that was different," Whiting said. "5K races happen all the time, but there are not that many mile races and relays targeted toward students and Greek life. Plus, since many of the founding members were track athletes, putting on an event like this just came naturally."
The event has been a success its first two years, helping Theresa Nandzo go to Tennessee State and Aqueelah Ellzey go to the University of Memphis. Nanzdo is in the pre-nursing program there while Ellzey is majoring in criminology. Whiting said he was happy to report that both are still in good standing.
"We do keep tabs on them but try not to be too invasive into their lives," Whiting said. "We receive emails from them on occasion updating us on how they are doing, and we invite them to our end-of-the-year banquet."
VSS Vice President Michael Nordlund, a fellow senior cross country runner, said he and Whiting are committed to seeing high school students reach their potential through the assistance from their organization's scholarship.
"We do all that we do because we are passionate about results and what they represent," Nordlund said. "I have had the pleasure of meeting our scholars and am very proud of them for their hard work and determination."
The Mile Bonanza raised over $1,500 its inaugural running and nearly $2,000 last year, and Whiting said he expects those numbers to rise for this year's event.
The event is open to anyone for the event up until 5:30 Wednesday afternoon at the Vanderbilt track. Click here to register early.
