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| AKRON TO TAKE A STEP FOR FAMILIES |
| The City of Akron is hosting a brand new event to raise
awareness and contributions for adoption and foster care. Saturday, May 17, 2003 will see
the first Take a Step for Families: A Day of Hope for Children. Included in the day is the
12-hour Marathon Walk for Kids, entertainment, food and family fun at the new Lane-Miller
South Sports Complex at Lane Street and Vernon Odom Boulevard (formerly Wooster Avenue).
The walk-a-thon will go from 8am-8pm on the new track at the sports complex. Then -- at
11am -- city officials, community leaders, professional athletes and citizens will join in
ceremonies to dedicate the city’s newest multi-use athletic facility. Mayor Don
Plusquellic, City Council President Marco Sommerville, Akron’s own Olympic Gold
Medalist Butch Reynolds and Akron Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sylvester Small will
take part in the ceremony.
Created by City of Akron Deputy Service Director Lunzy
Armstrong and John Hafford of the City of Akron Department of Parks and Recreation, Take a
Step for Families will feature demonstrations in tennis, soccer and baseball and include
in-line skating and a basketball competition.
Mayor Plusquellic praised Armstrong’s spearheading of
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| program saying, "I think it is wonderful
that Lunzy is dedicating himself to doing this for the community that raised him. He grew
up in that neighborhood and coached football there; he has always wanted to do something
special for the Lane Street community. This event is going to be very special." |
Sommerville said this has been a labor of love. "The
people of the Lane community have worked for decades to turn their neighborhood around.
This day will prove to be an important milestone in their lives and in the history of our
city," said Sommerville.
The Akron 12-Hour Marathon Walk for Kids will feature the passing of a Unity Torch from
one sponsor team to another; each hour will be dedicated to a different African-American
of historical prominence, from Martin Luther King, Jr., Fredrick Douglas and Rosa Parks to
Akronites Vernon Odom, Helen Arnold, Edward Davis and more.
Adults and children are encouraged to sign on sponsors and walk one or more miles in
support of foster care and adoption. Call John Hafford in the City of Akron Department of
Parks and Recreation at 330.375.2805 for more information and to sign up for the walk.
The Howard Street Blues Band will perform at 2pm, and there will be a hospitality tent
for everyone to enjoy samples of soul food from 11:30am -2:30pm.
(see flyer 74k pdf)
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