Update: Eric R, Jay K and Jay H completed their Vertical Challenge on April 3, 2024. They successfully skied 81,000 vertical feet each at Beaver Creek Resort. 

Support Our Spartans Vertical Challenge

We (Eric Reinhard, Jay Kirksey and Jay Horton) are avid skiers who have lived in Colorado for 40+ years. Last year in support of those families who lost loved ones in the violence our community experienced, we decided to ski our age in vertical feet at Vail to raise funds for the Support our Spartans (SOS) Emergency Fund. We skied 73,000 (we are 65 and 66 years old) and beat our goal! We were not well organized and don’t know how much we raised and so this year we are getting organized in our efforts!

In late March, we will be be participating in our second vertical challenge at Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado. This year our goal is to ski 80,000 vertical feet, and with your help raise $25,000 to support Spartans in need of emergency aid through the Support Our Spartans (SOS) Emergency Needs Fund.

Support Our Spartans Emergency Need Fund

There are times when emergencies and urgent demands arise that we aren’t financially prepared to take on. The Support Our Spartans (SOS) Students Emergency Needs Fund was created to provide students with immediate financial support to cover educational costs and unanticipated expenses during crises such as accidents, illness, death of a family member, fire damage or need for temporary housing. 

A donation to the SOS Emergency Fund can turn an unforeseen moment of crisis into a moment of unexpected generosity for a fellow Spartan. Support during times like these can “make or break” a student’s financial position and create the opportunity to remove potential roadblocks on the path to graduation. 

Your support will make a big difference and we hope that you will find our goal a novel way to get behind the emergency needs of students and support us by making a gift today. 

Who We Are

We are all graduates of MSU who recently retired. During our time at MSU they were members of Lambda Chi fraternity. Eric Reinhard is a 1980 graduate from College of Communication Arts and Sciences who played on the men's varsity soccer team and currently serves on ComArtSci Alumni Board. Jay Horton is a 1980 graduate from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. Jay Kirksey is a 1979 graduate of the Eli Broad College of Business. 

We are three guys who are extremely passionate about our university and hope that we can make an impact through our vertical challenge ski event.

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 24OOPCF1SOSVC” in the note section.

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