Campus Connection

Pre-PA Club raises money for cancer research during annual dodgeball event

UW-La Crosse students looking to enter the healthcare field took a step to help patients with lung disease. Members of the pre-Physician Assistants Club, one of the largest student organizations on campus, had a dodgeball tournament fundraiser Saturday, April 7, called Catch-A-Cure. The event raised more than $3,000 in its third year with 13 teams participating. All proceeds are going to lung cancer research through the Gundersen Medical Foundation. The club helps students determine if a PA career path is right for them and helps prepare students for applying to PA school. It also offers students many volunteer opportunities and leadership positions. Currently, the club has 121 members ranging from freshmen to fifth-year seniors. Many students have come to the club knowing little about the PA profession and realize through interacting with club members and guest PAs and PA students that this is the career path for them. Other students come to campus knowing that they want to be PAs and getting involved in the pre-PA club allows them to connect with other students with the same goal. Karen Graham, professor of the UWL-Gundersen-Mayo PA Program, is the group’s adviser. Margaret Rynkiewicz is the club president. [caption id="attachment_51833" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The first-place team in the contest, Slightly Above Average Joe’s.[/caption]