Savannah Pagel

Savanna Pagel was a senior at Potlatch High School when she decided to focus her senior project on supporting the University of Idaho’s’ veterans with disabilities by implementing a Fun Run and Raffle into the fall semester. As a part of National Honor Society, Business Professionals of America and the softball team, she is focused and determined and will be joining the Vandal Family upon high school graduation. By organizing this event she discovered her passion for event planning and management, which will steer her focus in college as she majors in business with an emphasis on management and human resources.

Savanna grew up surrounded by service members, admiring her step-father and brother and “appreciating those within the community who have served us.” She says, “It was a combination of these things that facilitated my choice to create this event. Operation Education is an amazing program, and it deserves to be recognized.”

Leading up to the event, Savanna held info booths at the Moscow Farmers Market and Palousafest, where she spoke about the program and the event with community members as well as sold raffles. She realized that everyone who learned about it thought that it was a fantastic project to serve our Vets.

The Fun Run started on the east side of campus following the Pitman Trail and ended fittingly at the University of Idaho’s Memorial Gym where they raffled off Vandal gear among other incentives that had been donated. Participants even carried the Mission 43 9/11 moving tribute flags as they ran. All of these proceeds were raised for U of I’s Operation Education to support scholarships and services. Savanna hopes that her recognition for the event educated more community members about the program. She says that as she looks back on the fundraiser, she is beyond grateful to have been able to create it. “Thank you to all our veterans.”