by BRETT MARSHALL, CSU Public Relations Assistant
MSU is trying to defend their title in a March competition, but it’s not for a sport, it’s for card making.
The competition, called “March Gladness,” is hosted by an organization called Cardz for Kidz, a nonprofit with a goal to get as many handmade cards as possible sent to terminally ill children in hospitals all around the world.
The competition began March 1 and ends March 31. The competitors are any and all universities across the nation and the competition is scored simply by which university creates and delivers the most cards. Last year, in its first year of competition, MSU won the competition by creating 571 cards, all of which went to Shriners Hospitals for Children in St. Louis, Mo.
Karen Anderson, Director of Community Engagement at MSU, hopes MSU can defend its title, but says another school may be looking to pull off the upset.
“We have heard rumors that a school in Wisconsin [is] attempting to challenge us,” she said.
In an effort to make a big push for card creation, the Community Engagement Office (CEO), set up a competition for RSO’s. The competition is ongoing and interested groups are asked to reach out to the CEO to get a supply kit to make cards. The three RSO’s that make the most cards will receive a cash prize. The deadline for submitting created cards is March 25 at 4 p.m. More information on the competition can be found on Engage.
Anderson hopes the internal competition can help MSU win the national competition. She’s also hoping the international students can use their diverse backgrounds to contribute to the competition and create extra special cards.
“One of the very special things about MSU is that we have a so many international students, and with that comes the ability to write cards in many different languages,” she said.
Cards in different languages and ones that had significant effort go in to making them have profound impacts on the kids who receive them.
MSU has been a partner with Cardz for Kidz for a few years and is the only university in the country to be recognized as a “Platinum” partner. MSU achieved this status by having created more than 1,000 cards since the beginning of the partnership.
For more information on Cards for Kidz, visit their website cardzforkidz.org.
For more information on the card competition, contact the Community Engagement Office or visit Engage.
