Students from the event class in Trevecca’s sport management program have put an assignment to good use in the community.

As part of a class project, the class planned and executed a fundraising event called The Nash Dash, raising $550 for the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. 

“Due to COVID, the class was challenged to come up with a hybrid or virtual event to create and produce,” associate professor Leigh Ann Bussell said. 

Bussell said the class elected to do a hybrid event based on the reality show ‘The Amazing Race.’  Teams raced through Nashville from one clue to the next, visiting nine iconic locations around Nashville before returning to Trevecca's campus.

Prizes, awarded to the first- through fifth-place teams, included Titans tickets, Predators tickets and gear donated by Trevecca’s bookstore. 

“On top of support from our peers who signed up for the event, we also had some amazing donations and prizes given to make our event a well rounded success,” said Sydney McCormick, a sport management major who was part of the project. 

For Bussell, it’s important that students have a good grasp on how to put together events as they move into their future careers. 

“Events, games and matches are what sport management professionals work for.  Everything that happens in this industry is an event, in a facility, that requires marketing, sales, promotion, communication, legal matters and staff to be successful,” she said. 

The amount raised was unprecedented for a class project.

“This class has raised the most for their charity since the course was added to the required curriculum,” said Bussell.

For McCormick, participating in this event has been a highlight of her education at Trevecca. 

“Presenting the check for $550 to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital with some of my classmates was a humbling experience and I was grateful to be a part of it,” said McCormick. “The sport event management course and the charity event we hosted has supplied some of the greatest lessons and skills I have learned since attending Trevecca.”

Media Contact: Brian Bennett