Often the March air is cold at 5:30 a.m. but student leadership seems not to mind the temperature or the influx of traffic as rush hour approaches. Campus students are planning to volunteer their time to sell Kids Day versions of The Fresno Bee as part of the city-wide effort to raise money for Childrens Hospital Central California on March 20.

“This will be my first year doing this I think it will be a lot of fun,” Kim Bimat, ’05, said. “The only thing is it is so early in the morning but I think that once we all get started and have fun together it won’t be so bad.”

Students from last year who sold the papers have positive memories of the experience.

“I will never forget selling the papers last year,” Sara Wiens, ’04, said. ” It was a lot of fun to yell on the side of the street and to bond with my friends that were doing it also.”

The Kids Day papers include a copy of The Fresno Bee and a special section which features stories about Valley Children’s patients from all over the Valley. More than 70 percent of the children are on state or federal funded public assistance programs.

“I think it really cool that so much money has been raised for the kids at the hospital and that it help in a positive way,” Evan Sanders, ’03, said. “I am going to help sell them this year but in the past I have always bought one of the papers to read.”

Since 1988 approximately $1.2 million have been raised through the Kids Day program. The Kids Day papers are sold for $1 in 21 towns and communities in Central California.

“This is an excellent opportunity for our leadership class to serve outside our campus walls,” Christopher Schultz, student leadership adviser, said. “This is a good cause which our students are happy to be a part of.”

Thirty-five campus students are hoping to sell 300 papers along Alluvial from First to Maple for two hours beginning at 5:30 a.m.

Students interested in volunteering to sell papers on March 20 should call 559-353-7100 or go to www.childrenscentralcal.org.