Leroy T. Walker Inaugural 5K Fun/Walk-A-Thon

Charlotte Hosts Leroy T. Walker Inaugural 5K Fun/Walk-A-Thon

Charlotte will host its first 5KFun/Walk-A-Thon to benefit the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) in uptown Charlotte on Saturday, March 1, 2008. Following opening ceremonies at 8:00am, the Walk-A-Thon will commence at the Carolina Panthers Training Field, on Cedar Street. Participants will meander through Seversville Park and Frazier Park Greenway, located in Historic Third Ward.

While cities like New Orleans and Houston have successfully hosted walk-a-thon fundraisers for more than five years, this is an inaugural event for Charlotte and the UNCF. LeRoy T. Walker, a Benedict College graduate (UNCF school), is the former and first African-American president of the U.S. Olympic Committee (1992-1996) , the former men’s track and field coach for the U.S. Olympic Team (1976) and former Chancellor of North Carolina Central University (NCCU).

As the nation's oldest and most successful private minority education assistance organization, the United Negro College Fund's mission is to increase minority degree attainment by providing financial support to its 39 member institutions, reducing financial barriers to college and serving as a national advocate for minority education. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 18 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. For 35 years, UNCF has been known by its iconic motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste"®.

Learn more about UNCF at www.uncf.org. Or visit www.racescapes.com