UAT's Destination Geek 2009 Reaps Real Rewards

TEMPE, AZ--(Marketwire - March 18, 2009) - In 2008, the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) organized a community-building alternative for undergrads last year with their volunteer-based Destination Geek program, creating a new tradition. For the 2009 Destination Geek event, held March 10-13, UAT students and staff provided their services for three charitable organizations -- the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), equestrian-based Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship, and the Arizona Humane Society.

UAT assisted the Greater Arizona Chapter of the MDA by providing folder assembly for their Stride & Ride walking event (March 28) and creation of information packets for the Lock-Up Jailbird fundraiser. MDA has provided a support resource for muscular dystrophy sufferers and their families for more than 50 years.

For Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship in Scottsdale, UAT volunteers trimmed mistletoe from trees, weeded the side of the facility arena, cleared dead brush and branches, and widened a trail to make it more accessible to riders. Camelot Therapeutic specializes in helping disabled children and adults to ride and work with horses specially trained to cooperate with the handicapped.

Destination Geek concluded with a trip to Arizona Humane Society's Nina Mason Pulliam Campus for Compassion in Phoenix. The students and employees balanced fun and work, playing with cats and rabbits, making dog treats, and cleaning animal cages. In operation for more than 50 years, the Arizona Humane Society assists with injured, unwanted, and abandoned animals in the second-largest homeless animal population in the U.S. That adoration was seen through the employees themselves, with some having dogs and rabbits keeping them company in their offices.

Through its annual Destination Geek event, UAT hopes to provide on-campus students and employees with unique activities to benefit the greater Phoenix area and positive feeling of accomplishment.

About UAT: The University of Advancing Technology is a unique, private college that serves its student body by fostering knowledge creation and academic excellence in an environment that embraces the young technophiles of the world. With three centers of research and a suite of technology-centered undergraduate and graduate degrees, the University is a recognized leader in technology education.

For more information please visit: www.uat.edu

Contact Information: CONTACT: Robert Marshall UAT Media Relations pressrelease@uat.edu