THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — It was a beautiful Monday as members of the Cal Lutheran community came together at North Ranch Country Club for the event, Par for a Purpose.
Before playing a round of golf, California Lutheran University and the Athletics Department staff talked about the new "Return to Play" campaign as well as Cares Day on April 7th. You can give to Cal Lutheran athletics by going to the Return To Play website.
At the Par for a Purpose golf outing, guests got to hear from Cal Lutheran's new president Lori Varlotta, Vice President for Enrollment Mangement and Student Success Matt Ward, Vice President of University Advancement Regina Biddings-Muro, Director of Athletics Dan Kuntz, and student-athletes Charlie Lee and Lauren Heller.
"Today's Par for a Purpose is a perfect example of getting and being "Stronger Together.", said President Varlotta. "It marked the first M2M event sponsored by the University this year. I was thrilled to be one of 100+ people who came together in socially distanced way to enjoy the camaraderie of old friends and new. We all joined in a common purpose to support our student-athletes, coaches and staff of the athletic department who are making an intercollegiate experience possible this year.
"I am grateful to the staff in Athletics and to the staff in University Advancement who joined forces to make today's event a success. What a great show of teamwork!"
After Varlotta talked about Return to Play, Biddings-Muro shifted the focus to Cares Day and how donors could help team's get ready for a spring season and hopefully back to some type of normalcy in the fall.
"In support of intercollegiate athletics during Cal Lutheran Cares Day, we invite you to encourage gifts among your friends and family of any size," Biddings-Muro said. "As a special challenge, we invite you to be among the top three VIP donors between now and April 7th. The top three donors will be recognized with a celebratory breakfast or lunch, your choice, with your favorite coach and team.
"To make sure we can continue to provide outstanding student experiences in athletics, our goal is to raise twice as much as we did last year: $200,000. Cal Lutheran Cares Day slogan is Stronger Together. From now until April 7th, please show up for our students like you always have! Thank you for all the support!"
One of the many highlights from the day was hearing from a few student-athletes. Heller and Lee each took the mic and talked about what they had overcome and how Cal Lutheran, coaches and teammates have helped them along the way. Heller, a junior on the women's volleyball team, talked about losing her father to ALS while Lee, a junior with men's basketball, has had setbacks with injuries. Each had a different perspective on what Cal Lutheran offers and why it is a special place.
When it came to Return to Play, Heller had this to say: "I think about all the sports getting back to playing. Whether they are indoor, outdoor, contact or not contact. Our school is going to do everything that they can to get everyone back and playing the sport that they love."
While it is the spring season, Cal Lutheran has tried to get all 22 sports back in action this spring, which Lee was really happy about: "I think it's great, because it goes to show that they care about all of the students and student-athletes. They want to give us an equal opportunity to finish out their athletic careers, and it makes me excited to see my peers can get back to their respective sports."
With Cal Lutheran being a smaller institution, with more than 600 student-athletes competing, those athletes make up about 20-percent of the population at Cal Lutheran. With the Return to Play campaign, as well as outdoor classes starting, The University and athletics department wanted to show that it will do whatever it takes for all its students.
Then, everyone hit the golf course. The day consisted of 18 holes with challenges and fun contests. Par for a Purpose offered two "closest to the pin" challenges and a "men's and women's longest drive". There were also three 50/50 holes, and the person to hit closest to the pin, got half the pot.
Today was a big step for the University and the Athletics Department. You can continue to help during the "Return to Play" campaign and the "Stronger Together" Cares Day (April 7th) by donating to your favorite teams or the Athletic Department as a whole. A very big thank you to everyone who has and will support our student-athletes.
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
