Exercise Science and Wellness (ESW) students at Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) will host a fundraiser this month for an organization that provides services for individuals in recovery.

ESW 102 will host the “One Step at a Time” one-mile walk across Blue Bell Campus on Monday, Nov. 21, at 10:15 a.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit One Day at a Time (ODAAT), a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization under the Urban Affairs Coalition, dedicated to serving low-income and homeless men and women and their families in the Philadelphia area who are afflicted by addiction and HIV/AIDS.

Participants will begin the walk at the Health Sciences Center and walk a one-mile loop across campus. Representatives from the Wellness Center will be on hand for the event, and participants will be able to receive a free massage from students in the Massage Therapy program.  Registration for the event is $5, and it is open to the community. 

"As part of the ESW 102 class, students learn how to organize a charity event and host a fundraiser on campus each semester,” said Dr. Anne Livezey, Co-Coordinator, Professor Exercise Science and Wellness. "Students learn every aspect of the planning process from determining an event, selecting a charity, marketing the event, sending professional emails, registering participants, and the day of the event operations."

ESW student Madison McCarthy suggested her classmates support ODAAT during this year’s event. The 22-year-old has been working with the organization through her church since she was a teenager, assisting with community service projects like carbon monoxide and smoke detector installations and Thanksgiving Food Drives, she said.

The support she got from her classmates for suggesting the organization made her feel special.

“It felt amazing in a very surprising and positive way,” she said. “The class came together and supported me, and they knew it meant something to me. It was something special.”

“I’m so grateful that Madison came up with the idea to support One Day at a Time through this great event,” said ODAAT President and CEO Mel Wells. “I truly believe we can have a better community taking one step at a time, one day at a time, together as one family."

Livezey said as we enter the season of giving, it’s important to support organizations like ODAAT that are helping individuals in need.

“It’s important for our students to see there are people really struggling at this time of the year,” she said, “and events like the One Step at a Time walk that they’re organizing can make a real difference in people’s lives.”

For more information about the One Step at a Time walk, contact Dr. Anne Livezey.