The sixth annual “Battle of the Cents-es” will benefit a pair of families battling health issues. The fundraising competition, which pits student ambassadors from the College of Engineering and the College of Health Professions against each other, is scheduled for Feb. 22-26.
Students will collect donations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day at a booth in Memorial Union. As part of the student competition, all change collected during the competition counts positively toward each student group’s total. Paper bills are subtracted from each group’s total. Donations will be used to support the families of Katelyn Quinn and Brian Alexander.
Quinn, who turns 3 years old on Feb. 19, suffers from a rare genetic disease that causes several uncontrolled seizures each day. Her parents are NDSU graduates Joe and Meredith Quinn.
Alexander has endured radiation treatment, four rounds of chemotherapy and two surgeries due to cancer in the last year. A 2001 NDSU graduate, Brian and his wife, Maureen, have a 4-year-old son, Eddie. Heidi Eukel, associate professor of pharmacy, is Alexander’s sister-in-law.
“Looking at the bigger picture, this event is about coming together as a campus, helping families of the NDSU community and working together to do so,” said Hannah Rocholl, a second-year professional pharmacy student. “These families know that our colleges are behind them, and I think that’s what makes this event so memorable.”
Noah Schmidt, a senior majoring in civil engineering, said: “The impact Battle of the Cents-es has on the families is something I wish everyone could experience. The impact of what we are doing continues for years and creates a chain reaction. We help a family now, and later down the road they will help someone else, and so on. Knowing that many people will be affected by what we do here as a group of students simply trying to make a small impact on someone’s life is what makes this a special event.”
In 2015, the college ambassadors raised more than $4,100 for an NDSU senior lecturer’s daughter who suffered from a heart ailment that required two surgeries.
For more information about Battle of the Cents-es, contact Noah Schmidt, College of Engineering ambassador, at noah.schmidt@ndsu.edu; or Hannah Rocholl, College of Health Professions ambassador, at hannah.rocholl@ndsu.edu.
As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.