The men of Galaxy will raise support for the Nov. 4 bus accident victims Saturday with the 29th annual Kirk Goodwin Run.
Tucker Mueck, junior family studies major from Robinson, said the race was named after a former Galaxy member, Kirk Goodwin, who died a few days after he was involved in a single car accident 30 years ago.
“The guys from Galaxy decided they wanted to raise money and started up a race to help families that have unforeseen medical bills,” Mueck said. “So this year will be our 29th year to run the race and all the proceeds will go toward the families that have been involved in the bus accident.”
The KGR is a 5K run, that will begin on Saturday at 8 a.m. outside of the Administration building. It will be a chip time race, meaning each individual will be timed when they cross the start and finish line to make timing more accurate, Mueck said.
Mueck said pre-registration is $15 to run, and there will be a table in the campus center. Registration will also open up at 7 a.m. Saturday participants can sign up the day of the race for $20.
“We just encourage people to run, or even walk, because either way the money is going towards those families,” Mueck said.
Mark Jackson, assistant director of student organizations and programs, said prizes will be awarded to first place winners in all categories. There will be age brackets for ages 13-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, and 60 and above. Finish line photos will be taken and all participants will receive T-shirts.
“Supporting our students that were involved in the bus accident, whether physically they are still hurting or still have injuries or whether they have gotten a clean bill of health, is important” Jackson said. “There are still things that we cannot see that I’m sure they are still dealing with.”
Proceeds will help the families pay off remaining hospital bills and medical expenses.
“For Galaxy, the fact that Kirk Goodwin was one of their own is a big deal,” Jackson said. “Anytime you’re dealing with someone that was a part of your organization and something tragic happens, you want to continue the tradition and continue supporting who he was and what he’s about.”
Mueck said two years ago there were 200 participants that raised about $5,000 and last year $7,000 was raised by about 300 participants for Samantha Bahl’s family.
“We get sponsorships from people in Abilene and club guys go back home and ask for money,” Mueck said. “So everything that we get from students now will go straight toward those families since we’ve already covered the race costs.”
Mueck said the race was a good way to show support for the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and the ACU community as a whole.
“The reason why I’m involved in it and the reason why I think other people should be involved in it is just because it’s completely for other people,” Mueck said. “We just want to be able to support ACU and, seeing as all the money is going to those families that have been involved in the bus crash, it’s something that definitely hits home.”
