Jul 29, 2009

2009 Charlotte CROP Hunger Walk

(Charlotte) –Dr. Peter Gorman, CMS Superintendent, and his wife Sue are excited to be the honorary chairpersons for this year’s Charlotte CROP Hunger Walk. The Gorman family will lead this year’s CROP Walk when it steps off from the Grady Cole Center on Sunday, October 4th, at 2:30pm. Dr. Gorman feels that the CROP Walk is very important to the Charlotte community. “The CROP Hunger Walk is a wonderful opportunity for children to help children, families to help families, around the world and around the block. It is a chance for us to reach out to help meet the needs of those in our own community and people around the world.”

The Charlotte CROP Hunger Walk is actively recruiting participants. Team recruiters are key to the process. The first Recruiters’ Workshop will be held Tuesday, July 22nd, from 6 to7:30pm at St. John’s Baptist Church on Hawthorne Lane. Anyone who is interested in being a recruiter for this year’s event is asked to call 704-333-9255 to sign up to attend Tuesday’s workshop or a second workshop to be held Sunday, August 23rd, from 2:30 to 4pm at the same location. Participants in this year’s walk will receive the event’s official t-shirt with a logo designed by Rebecca Kobsik, a CPCC student in graphic design. Rebecca has a BS in business and wants to pursue a career in graphic design. She says simplicity is at the heart of her design. “I kept the design to only two colors so that people don’t get lost in the details and miss the message of the shirt. And I chose a font that has a bit of an ‘international’ feel to it. I also wanted to highlight the meaningful tag line of "We walk because they walk” by showing the contrast between us here in the US with our sneakers and how many people in developing countries must get around in their bare feet.”

Repairs to Memorial Stadium and construction in the surrounding area are forcing a slight change in the location for this year’s walk. The 2009 Charlotte CROP Hunger Walk will begin and end at the Grady Cole Center behind the stadium on Kings Drive rather than the stadium itself. Reverend Barbara Thomas, Church World Service regional director, does not see this as a major problem. “More than half of the walkers probably never came inside the stadium; they just assembled outside at the starting line. And the new starting line is within sight of last year’s. We’ll be fine!”

Held each year in October, the Charlotte CROP Hunger Walk is the largest of the 2000 community walks across the United States sponsored by Church World Service. Funds raised from these walks are used to relieve poverty, aid development and provide disaster and refugee assistance worldwide. One-fourth of the monies raised go to local charities in each community. In Charlotte, the local agencies receiving assistance are Loaves & Fishes, Crisis Assistance Ministry and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. The remaining funds are used by Church World Services to alleviate hunger and poverty in 80 countries throughout the world. Newschannel 36 WCNC is the media sponsor for this year’s walk.

Founded in 1946, Church World Service (www.churchworldservices.org) is the relief, development and refugee assistance agency supported in part by 35 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican denominations in the United States. The agency works in partnership with indigenous organizations in some 80 countries, including the United States to respond to disasters, resettle refugees and advocate for fair national and international policies.

Categories: Lifestyle