Anne Kooiker / Winonan
Breaking world records and raising money for a cause will go hand-in-hand at a cornhole bags tournament at Winona State University later this semester.
The students of the business organizations Pi Sigma Epsilon and the American Marketing Association will play in a cornhole bags tournament during their Toss for A Cause event, starting at 6 a.m. Feb. 29 in the new college of Business Engagement Center in Somsen Hall for 36 hours straight. This will break the 26-hour-long world record cornhole game.
The organizations will charge $25 per person to play, and all proceeds raised will benefit a children’s hospital in Tanzania.
Nick Smith, president of Pi Sigma Epsilon, said the children struggle a lot in Tanzania to get the same medical opportunities as in the U.S.
“These kids really struggle over there; a lot of the doctors, nurses are all volunteers too. So this is to help them out in any way we can,” Smith said.
Duc Nguyen, vice president of human resources of Pi Sigma Epsilon, said the children’s hospital also helps others of all ages because it is the hospital that has those capabilities in the area.
“For the major cases when the children get really sick with some weird strain of a weird virus or they come down with a genetic disease no one else can figure out, this is what that hospital is for,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen said they are hoping to raise $3,600 for the cause.
PSE and AMA will be competitors in the cornhole games, where teams of two battle each other by throwing bags in to the holes of boards across from them.
Robert Newberry, the chairperson of the Winona State University College of Business and part of International Health Partners created the idea and asked PSE and AMA to join in on the event, Wright said.
“[Newberry] and his wife are part of the International Health Partners for Tanzania. He brought this cause to me since AMA hosts bags tournaments and thought it would be cool to
co-op with a few organizations on working with this cause,” Wright said.
Wright said the opportunity to play a simple game for a good cause makes the event worth it.
“It’s not too hard,” Wright said. “You just got to throw a bag 20-plus feet and doesn’t take up too much space. It’s a fun friendly game everyone can have a little competition in.”
