This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For the first time in memory, there is no Utah-BYU football game this year — a hiatus from one of the nation's best rivalries.
The absence of the "Holy War" contest also has put on hold the traditional "Game Ball Run," hosted by the U.'s Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, which during the past 26 years has raised about $150,000 for Camp Hobé, a special summer outpost at Camp Wapiti in Settlement Canyon near Tooele, run almost entirely by volunteers and serving children with cancer.
The Game Ball Run traditionally has attracted about 50 Pi Kappa Alpha participants, who run 47 miles from the U. to Brigham Young University.
In lieu of the Salt Lake City-Provo run, the frat is staging a 5-K at Liberty Park on Saturday morning before that night's football game against powerful Oregon at Rice-Eccles Stadium, said Richard Peterson, Pi Kappa Alpha's philanthropy chairman.
The event begins at 9 a.m. Runners will take two laps around the park. It is open to all. Entrants can register at the park until the beginning of the run. Cost is $20, plus a $2.50 fee.
Peterson said the frat hopes to raise $10,000 this year through sponsorships from various businesses and individual donors.
Camp Hobé has a main lodge and 17 cabins. Recreational facilities include an outdoor pavilion, swimming pool, arts-and-crafts cabin and a volleyball sand pit.
Activities also include field games, creative writing, hiking, mountain biking, nature awareness and theater games.
The place provides a two-day camp for 4- to 7-year-olds, a five-day session for 6- to 12-year-olds and a five-day outing for 12- to 19-year-olds.
The run is dedicated to past Pi Kappa Alpha President Kevin B. Kennedy, who died after a three-year battle with brain cancer in the 1980s and inspired the annual charity effort for Camp Hobé.
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A Park City blitz • This is a class project for the ages.
Julie Hooker teaches an innovative leadership class at Treasure Mountain Junior High in Park City. Her philosophy is to teach leadership skills through projects and challenge-based learning. Hooker taps real-life experiences people face to develop skills to meet those challenges.
On Friday, her students are embarking on a 24-hour online fundraising blitz with the goal of raising $1 million for about 75 nonprofit organizations. The effort is coordinated by Park City's "Live PC Give PC."
Students decide which charities to help and how they will do so.
Says student Morgan DeCamp: "I'll contribute to the Christian Center because my mom told me as a young girl when times were tough, she would go without a meal a couple of times a week. I want to be able to help provide anything I can for people who are going through what my mom went through."
Henry Silverman: "If you want to help keep things out of landfills and make the world a better looking and smelling place, you have to donate to Recycle Utah during Live PC Give PC.
Melissa Mellin: "I will contribute to the Peace House because I believe it is dedicated to ending the cycle of family violence and abuse through education, outreach, support services and shelter."
Patrick Hanahan: "Being somebody who likes to mountain-bike, I respect those who maintain the trails we use. The Mountain Trails Foundation keeps the trails we all love on the mountain so I plan to donate to it during Live PC Give PC."
Amy Whipple: "I'm committed to helping the People's Health Clinic. In Park City, you would think everyone is healthy. But many hardworking families are desperate for a doctor's visit."
In addition to raising money and donating to Live PC Give PC online, students plan to generate awareness of this "day of giving" by converging on high-traffic Park City locales, waving signs and dressing in zany garb.
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We're No. 4 • The University of Utah's relatively small student section is ranked fourth in the nation, according to ncaa.com.
On Tuesday, the website's High Five feature listed the top five student sections.
Penn State finished first, followed by Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Utah's MUSS and Clemson.
Not bad for a student section of about 6,000.
John Fackler, director of alumni relations for the U.'s Alumni Association, points out that Texas A&M's student section is 30,000 strong. Penn State has 21,000 and Wisconsin 14,000.