Students Sweat to Honor Veterans

November 12, 2011

In honor of Veteran’s Day, the Student Recreation & Wellness Center (SRWC) at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) hosted “Sweat for a Vet” on Saturday, Nov. 12 for the first time in the Farber Fitness room of the new facility. 

“Sweat for a Vet” was created by Ayla Donlin, CSULB kinesiology lecturer and SRWC spin class instructor, to raise money to buy fitness equipment for disabled veterans.  In May 2010 the first “Sweat for a Vet” event was held at Frog’s Fitness Center, and in November 2010 it became a national event.

The three-hour spinning event was sponsored by Project VisAbility, an organization that provides fitness resources for disabled veterans, and was promoted by the CSULB Fitness Majors Association. CSULB participants began at 6:30 a.m. and concluded at 9:30 a.m. Local and international fitness facilities participated in “Sweat for a Vet” simultaneously by watching a live web video link.

Donlin instructed via live web video link from the Tysons Sport and Health Club in Virginia while CSULB spin instructors helped motivate and coach cyclists at the SRWC when technical difficulties occurred.

Raffle tickets were given to each participant and prizes including SRWC water bottles, Nike gym bags, and “Sweat for a Vet” t-shirts were. 

Fifty-two community members participated in “Sweat for a Vet” and raised $1,152. The SRWC will use a portion of the funds to purchase a krank cycle, a cycle accessible for someone in a wheelchair, and the remaining amount of donations will be contributed to the national campaign promoting fitness for disabled veterans.

The SRWC is a 126,500 square feet recreation facility located at the east end of the CSULB campus that provides recreational activities, programs, and opportunites to the students, associates, and affiliates of the university.