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  • Steven Powell $1,000.00

Alex Powell Spartan Experience Leadership Endowment

Each year, Alex’s Great State Race (AGSR) brings together two BIG10 institutions who put their rivalry aside and instead unite to honor the legacy of Alex Powell, former MSU student and U-M patient, and bring awareness to disability services. The race is a celebration of Alex, but also highlights the symbolic partnership between MSU and U-M working together to bring awareness to a worthy cause. This annual race features MSU and U-M's ROTC cadets as they run the game ball on MSU's campus the Friday before the annual rivalry football game.

This annual tradition was inspired by Alex Powell, a young man with a dream of attending one of the Big Ten's finest educational institutions. He worked hard to prepare. And by his senior year in high school, he was ready.  

That's when a rare cancer intruded. 

Alex PowellAlex understood that his life was now about quality, not quantity. He was determined to pack as much adventure and enlightenment into his remaining days as his energy would allow.  

He knew he couldn't do it alone. That's when MSU's Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) stepped in. RCPD makes an exceptional educational experience accessible to anyone with the desire and the intellect for academic success. RCPD created a supportive environment where Alex could fully enjoy his college experience, despite the inevitable decline of his powers. 

When Alex Powell passed away, his family was determined to create a tradition that would honor his memory and support the organizations that have helped thousands of students become Spartans and Wolverines, despite what others might define as a disability. 

That's how Alex’s Great State Race came to be. 

Since 2014, AGSR is a tradition that reflects the MSU and U-M rivalry in a new light. Each year on the eve of the Spartans-Wolverines football game, an elite team of Army ROTC Cadets from both universities come together to run the game ball across 64 miles of Michigan back roads and finish at the university hosting the game. This year, the race will take place on October 25, 2024.

Proceeds from the race support the Alex Powell Spartan Experience Leadership Endowment, which provides vital funding to: 

  • Energize and extend staff leadership via team and professional development focused on capacity building for an exceptional Spartan experience. 
  • Enhance the Spartan experience through outreach, specialized assistance and services to students and families facing challenges around difficult disability dynamics with special sensitivity to those facing cancer and other acute challenges. 

Your support will honor Alex's memory by providing resources that allow MSU to address unique needs of MSU students with disabilities with a special focus on challenges faced by students fighting cancer. 

You can learn more about Alex's Great State Race here.  

New This Year! 

Are you ready to show your school pride and make an impact for a great cause? University of Michigan and Michigan State University are asking for you to join Alex's Great State Race virtually to see who can log the most miles — all while raising funds to support students with disabilities. Whether you're a student, alumni, faculty, or friend of the university, your miles count!

How It Works:

- Sign Up: Register online at Alex's Great State Race Ambassador (runsignup.com)
- Track Your Miles: Head out on October 25th when it works in your schedule. Run, walk, roll, or hike as many miles as you wish. No distance is too short. Log your distance into the RunSignUp link.
- Compete: Watch the leaderboard to see which school is ahead in total miles!

Make a Gift by Mail:

University Advancement
Spartan Way
535 Chestnut Road, Room 300
East Lansing, MI 48824

*Make check payable to Michigan State University and write “Appeal 25OOPCF1AGSR” in the note section.

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