By Mary Lide Parker
Staff Writer
The 12th annual Walk for Education will take place this Saturday in downtown Chapel Hill.
Lyn Lehmann, co-chair of the event this year, estimates that 3 to 4,000 people will participate in a one-mile walk down Franklin Street to support public education and celebrate the centennial anniversary of the district.
The walk will be preceded by the Race for Education, which begins at 9 a.m. at McCorkle Place. The race was added six years ago to get older students and more members of the community involved.
Twelve years ago, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation decided to organize a walk as a more effective form of fundraising.
“We felt that kids were being asked to sell all kinds of things that weren’t really necessary – wrapping paper and candy,†said Lehman. “There were a lot of successful walks in Chapel Hill, so we decided we would come up with a walk that would benefit our schools directly and give them another way to do some fundraising.â€
The walk concludes with a carnival on the grounds of the Lincoln Center. There will be games and attractions as well as booths with student groups from every school in the district. The walk and carnival will also be celebrating the centennial anniversary of the district.
“We’re giving a monetary prize to the school that demonstrates the best centennial spirit for their founding year,†said Lehman.
Alison Worthy, co-chair and president of the event this year, said the walk has grown larger every year, with a record number of walkers last year.
“This year, with the economy and the markets and everything that’s going on, I think that schools are relying on the walk more to raise funds, so it will be interesting to see how the schools do,†she said.
Lehman said the walk and race raised about $85,000 last year. The money earned is earmarked for special projects such as technology, playgrounds and others that aren’t paid for by state or federal funds.
Both Lehman and Worthy said they have great community and corporate support. This year, the Wachovia Foundation and UNC Health Care are the two premier sponsors. Another 50 private sponsors have made donations ranging from $25 to $1,500.
Worthy, who has been involved with the walk since its inception, said, “In all the years I’ve done the walk, I think the most exciting thing is to look back down Franklin Street and see a sea of children and their parents and their teachers and all the members of the community out supporting public education.â€
To make a donation to the walk online, go to www2.chccs.k12.nc.us/psf and click on the walk donation bar. Donations of $25 or more come with a unique 12th annual/Centennial t-shirt. Runners can register for the Race for Education at Fleet Feet Sports in Carr Mill Mall or by going to SPORToften.com. Registration will also be open Saturday morning before the race.