By Alex Avila
The Kinesiology department had its 5th Annual Husky Turkey Trot Drive from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Quad yesterday.
During the drive, the department had several booths that students were able to visit.
Students were able to check their body fat levels, discuss fitness and donate canned food at the booths set up at the event.
Fitness trials also took place to commemorate the 2.5k run, along with a Zumba dance class.
Club Adviser Rick Gamboa and the Kinesiology Club have been running the Husky Turkey Trot Drive since its inception and have been aiming to make the drive even more successful than the years prior.
“We had a lot more participants this year [and] our staff wanted to do much more,” Gamboa said.
The club adviser said he wanted to give back to the community and to the students, especially those less fortunate than most.
“Thanksgiving is around the corner. We don’t always realize how fortunate most of us are, and don’t realize how unfortunate some students are,” Gamboa said.
“[We have] to be mindful that we have to take care of our fellow students and man; it’s a good start for the holiday season.”
Gamboa said he’s proud of those who volunteered and participated.
“We wanted everyone involved— we got athletics involved, the English department, and EOP got involved. The community really got involved for the good cause,” Gamboa said.
The club adviser has already begun planning for next year’s drive to be bigger and to be held a week earlier.
This way, he said, those who would be receiving the donated food may have it in time for Thanksgiving.
Kinesiology Department Chair Erika Blanco showcased the new certificates students would be able to work toward.
Blanco introduced the new selections, that included the “Fitness Specialists Certificate of Achievement,” a program that prepares students to be personal trainers at fitness centers.
“We have a Physical Therapy and Aid Certificate, Rehab, a Aquatics certificate for lifeguards [and] coaching degrees,” Blanco said.
Along with donating food annually, Blanco wanted to promote healthy living at the event.
“[The drive] gets kids excited about fitness right before the holiday,” Blanco said.
Club member Willy Talavera celebrated the impact the drive was making and how proud he was of the department’s efforts.
“We should come together as a community to help each other,” Talavera said.
“I used to be 550 pounds before getting to know the right people and getting the encouragement to lose weight. Now I weigh 170 pounds.”
According to Talavera, the Kinesiology department encourages personal fitness and promotes leading a healthy lifestyle.