Members of the Roanoke Valley and New River Valley communities gathered the morning of April 18 in Roanoke’s Washington Park to promote healthy living and in support of people in need in Haiti and Liberia.
The Roanoke Chapter of The Links, Inc. sponsored a walk-a-thon/5K Run to assist in raising funds to support people, particularly women and girls, who are still struggling to recover from the 2010 earthquake, and to support a national effort to aid in the fight against Ebola in Liberia and promotion of infection control. The walk also emphasized the importance of healthy living.
More than 50 runners and walkers laced up their shoes and ran or walked on Roanoke’s Lick Run Greenway Trail in and around Washington Park. Before hitting the trail, participants got a healthy dose of healthy living instruction from Drs. Pink P. Wimbush and Jacquelyn O. Jacobs, and received a few words from Mike Hamlar, Democratic candidate for the Virginia Senate.
Proud 6-year-old Kaiden Wade was the first to cross the finish line, followed closely by Dr. Wimbush and Mr. Harvey Brookins. All first, second and third place runners and walkers received a certificate and a gift.
The Walk-a-thon was organized by the Roanoke chapter’s International Trends & Services Facet, chaired by Dr. Jennifer Alston. The mission of this facet is to expand the global platform for programs developed to serve the education, health and cultural needs of people of African descent throughout the world.
The Roanoke chapter is one of 280 chapters and one of the oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of women who are committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African-Americans and other persons of African ancestry. Mrs. Rhonda Poindexter is president of the Roanoke chapter; Mrs. Connie Steele is vice president.
