Students honored the memory of bus accident victim, Anabel Reid during at 24-hour run/walk fundraiser that took place at Elmer Gray Stadium Friday and Saturday.
The Anabel Reid Run for Water took place from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to raise money for the Water 4 Anabel Reid Memorial Fund to help build water wells and provide clean water to countries in need, an issue Reid was passionate about.
“She always thought of other people first,” said administrative assistant in the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Mandy Scudder. “It’s a no brainer to us that, to her, clean water for everyone was the way it needed to be.”
Sarah Hailey said she was willing to get involved for the cause.
“I’ve always had a passion to participate in these types of things,” Hailey said. “I love to run, so I feel that is my way of giving back.”
Scudder said Hailey wasn’t the only student willing to run for the cause.
“We had 411 runners and walkers,” said Scudder. “There might have been people who chose to walk without registering or getting a number but we gave away 411 running bibs and we had over 100 volunteers.”
By the end of the 24-hour period, Scudder had collected $14, 534 and an additional $2,000 was given online to the Water 4 Anabel Reid Memorial Fund. With numbers like that, thousands of people stand to benefit from the water wells.
“The total cost for the water well kits is $5,000. From that kit, you can build 50 water wells. So $15, 000 will build 150 wells. It wouldn’t surprise me if we reached $20,000,” Scudder said.
With pledges rolling in until April 20, Scudder said this mark seems achievable.
“We brought honor to Anabel, ” Scudder said. “Her story did not end with her death. It’s continued and the fact that we are able to build so many wells, her legacy is going to continue and her story is going to continue for many years to come.”
Members of Reid’s family were also in attendance.
“I asked Anabel’s mom what Anabel would say if she could say something to us,” Scudder said, “and her eyes filled with tears and she smiled and she said, ‘Anabel would be smiling all the way.'”
