Alumni Aid Students While Indulging in Favorite Pastimes—Running and Shopping.

Want to shop for holiday gifts, get in shape by running 5K or 10K and help raise money for deserving University of Washington students all at the same time? Then bring your checkbook and your running shoes to the UW Alumni Association's "Scholarship Weekend" activities the weekend of Oct. 17-19.

The weekend kicks off with the Annual Holiday Fair, put on by the Alumnae Board. Since 1946, the Alumnae Board has provided scholarships to promising UW students. This year, the Alumnae Board gave out 28 full scholarships thanks to the Holiday Fair and other fund-raising efforts.

The fair, held at the Dempsey Indoor Practice Facility near Husky Stadium, features more than 100 local artisans selling their wares. The fair will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18. Admission is $3 for UWAA members with membership card, seniors over 60 and UWAA staff and faculty with a valid UW ID. It's free for children under 16, students with valid UW ID, and $5 general admission.

Once you have loaded up your shopping bag with holiday goodies, you can sign up for the 18th Annual Dawg Dash, a 5K and 10K run on Sunday, Oct. 19. The race starts at 9 a.m. in Husky Stadium and the course winds through the UW campus, ending back in the stadium. The Husky Pups Run, for kids under the age of 9, runs one lap around the track of the Dempsey Indoor Practice Facility.

Last year more than 2,300 runners participated and more than $18,000 was raised for student scholarships. Entry fees for Dawg Dash are $15 for students and UWAA members and $20 for the general public. Fees increase by $5 after Oct. 12. Be sure to visit DawgDash.com for details and registration.

Proceeds from the Holiday Fair and Dawg Dash support student scholarships. In this time of budget cuts and increased tuition, scholarships are more important than ever, and the UW Alumni Association is marshalling all of its resources to raise money for students.

Last year, the UWAA raised about $168,000 for student scholarships from Holiday Fair, Dawg Dash, the Bon Marché Diversity Luncheon, Coaches Tour, MAP Breakfast and other events, and is aiming to top that figure this year.

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