The University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) is proud to announce its second annual Homecoming 5K Spirit Run to benefit the Sandy Rogers and Scotty Richardson Memorial Scholarship on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 8 a.m. at the Convocation Center.
The scholarship honors two Aiken police officers who were tragically killed in the line of duty just two months apart in 2011 and 2012.
Awarded by the sociology program at USCA, preference is given to students pursuing a career in criminal justice with a demonstrated financial need.
Peyton Theuerl, a senior majoring in sociology with a focus on criminal justice, will be the inaugural recipient of the $500 scholarship.
“It feels like the school is truly recognizing my efforts, and that all my hard work is finally paying off,” Theuerl said.
Dr. Christine Wernet, chair of the sociology department at USCA, taught Scotty Richardson 2005 when he was a student in the sociology program.
“We are so excited to continue and honor Sandy and Scotty and grow this scholarship which offers students extra resources to help them complete their degree in sociology,” she said.
Rogers and Richardson’s family and friends made an initial gift in 2013 to establish this legacy scholarship in honor of these heroes of the City of Aiken Public Safety Department.
To maximize student scholarship funds, the sociology faculty proposed an on-campus 5K Run during Homecoming Weekend 2023.
“The event was a resounding success with 172 runners, 20 volunteers, and eight corporate sponsors,” according to a press release from USCA. “The community support raised $10,258. This made it possible to endow the scholarship, which means funds will be available to sociology majors in perpetuity.”
The upcoming Homecoming 5K Spirit Run is known to be family-friendly, and race participation is open to all ages and abilities. Each 5K participant will receive a t-shirt, while finalists receive ribbons. This will be a chipped-time race.
With the event’s opening ceremony starting at 7:50 a.m., the annual race will begin at 8 a.m. at the USCA Convocation Center, located at 2049 Champion Way, in Graniteville, S.C.
.For those interested in more information and registering for the 5K Run, click the link here–entry fees for the run increase after Jan. 15.
