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March 16, 2017

SVSU students to honor military veterans at Loons opener

Color Guard CroppedSaginaw Valley State University business students are organizing an event in the spirit of service. Home Runs for Heroes will honor local military veterans in partnership with the Great Lakes Loons Thursday, April 6 for the team’s home opener at 6:05 p.m. at‌ Dow Diamond.

The participating students have been selected for SVSU's Vitito Global Business Leadership Institute, a program for students who are driven to pursue leadership roles in business organizations that operate in an increasingly global setting.

The game will be free of charge for the first 100 veterans who register.

Additional tickets have been reserved that can be purchased for spouses or other guests who wish to attend the game with a veteran. The Loons have also generously agreed to let veterans have early access to the game so that they can watch batting practice. If attendees wish to do so, they need to arrive by 3:30 p.m.

“We are looking to have as many SVSU students as possible come out to the game, represent our school, and show their appreciation for our veterans,” said Carter Mazur, a business management major from Saginaw and one of the four SVSU students organizing the event.

Aranya Biswas, an economics major from the Asian country of Bangladesh; Kara Brunk, an accounting major from Southfield; and Mitch Kennedy, an accounting major from Bad Axe, have been working with Mazur to plan and promote the event and raise the funds needed. They have a GoFundMe page set up and are accepting donations through that channel, https://www.gofundme.com/homerunsforheroes. All donations will be used to offset the cost of tickets, food and t-shirts.

Any veterans interested in being a part of this event are asked to register online at https://goo.gl/forms/sXp4riulI20DwFso1.

SVSU has received multiple awards for its commitment to supporting veterans. Military Times recognized SVSU as part of its Best for Vets: Colleges 2017 rankings, as SVSU was rated No. 34 nationally by the independent media organization dedicated to news and information about the military. This was the highest ranking for any Michigan institution.

The Best for Vets rankings evaluate many factors, such as university culture and academic outcomes, in evaluating what makes a school a good fit for service members, military veterans and their families. For more information on the rankings, go to http://www.militarytimes.com/bestforvets-colleges2017.