People participating in the upcoming Coffee Crawl can safely travel from shop to shop, sampling the different types of coffee they have to offer while following COVID-19 guidelines, organizers said.

This year’s Coffee Crawl will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in two-hour time slots. Each time slot can have 100 participants.

All of the proceeds from the Coffee Crawl will be donated to the Marquette Women’s Center.

While supporting the local center, student organizers from Northern Michigan University are pairing this campaign with Sexual Assault Awareness Month to raise awareness and educate communities about sexual assault, its effects on victims and preventive measures.

These are organizers from the 2019 Coffee Crawl. From left are Lauren Rotundo, current local vice president of the Public Relations Student Society of America; Jess Mclntosh, past PRSSA member; Michelle Fortunato, former Women's Center volunteer; Hosanna Olah, former Women's Center volunteer; Myah Tatay, past PRSSA member; and Micah Carroll, past PRSSA member. (Photo courtesy of Hannah Smith)

Throughout the entire route of the crawl, there will be informational booths about sexual assault awareness along with local shops.

“I am so happy to be a part of the Coffee Cr

awl team because not only are we supporting our local shops, but we are also supporting a really important cause while gaining real-world experience,” said Hannah Smith, campus visit assistant and head of media for the event, in an email.

Beth Casady, executive director of the Marquette Women’s Center, expressed her appreciation for the event.

Not only is the Coffee Crawl a fundraiser for the center, she said, it’s outreach awareness with a group of people who she called a target population regarding sexual assault.

Sexual assault affects all demographics, she noted, but particularly the college-age crowd.

“It’s just a chance for us to meet and connect, and they in turn spread the word about our services,” Casady said.

The group involved in the event, the Public Relations Student Society of America, is a student organization at NMU, said Smith, who noted there are a number of different PRSSA chapters throughout the world and at other universities.

The NMU chapter of PRSSA’s goal is to allow its members to get real-world experience.

“We want our members to be able to experience the world of PR outside of the classroom,” Smith said. “We also want to create a lasting impact on the students, the school and, of course, the community. By hosting the Coffee Crawl, our members get to practice event planning, communication, content creation, media outreach and so much more.”

The proposed Marquette businesses for the third annual Marquette Coffee Crawl at this time include: 231 West Patisserie, 231 W. Washington St.; Cruisin’ Coffee, 727 N. Third St.; BabyCakes Muffin Co., 223 W. Washington St.; Velodrome Coffee Company, 519 W. Washington St.; Dead River Coffee Roasters, 119 W. Baraga Ave.; and Contrast Coffee Co., 600 N. Third St.

NMU Ticketing will handle the distribution and production of tickets for the Coffee Crawl.

The time slots will be split between three sections, Smith said: Early Bird, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.; Mid-Day Buzz, 10 a.m. to noon; and Afternoon Delight, noon to 2 p.m.

Participants will be able to buy their tickets for their desired time slot. Tickets can be reserved on the NMU Ticketing website at https://nmu. universitytickets.com/.

Tickets are $16, which is the price of a one-night stay at the Marquette Women’s Center, Smith said.

The first 100 people to buy their ticket will receive a free Coffee Crawl T-shirt. Otherwise, a Coffee Crawl shirt can be bought during the event for $12.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.