The Zonta Club of Charles County is pleased to announce the 9th Annual RAVE run-walk fundraiser, dedicated in memory of Gayle A. Cooke, will be held on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at the College of Southern Maryland, La Plata Campus, Physical Education Building with registration opening at 7:30 a.m. and the fun run/walk starting at 8:00 a.m., during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. RAVE is an acronym for Rape and Violence Eradication.
“We are delighted to partner with the College of Southern Maryland to host a fun run-walk on their beautiful campus to remember loved ones and support survivors of domestic violence and to raise awareness about this heinous crime,” says Ann Rees, event co-chair.
Earlier this year, the club established the Zonta RAVE Run-Walk Scholarship in Memory of Gayle A. Cooke with the College of Southern Maryland Foundation, funded in part with proceeds from this annual event.
The purpose of the scholarship is to empower women who have been a victim of domestic violence perpetrated by a current or former husband, boyfriend or family member. The scholarship helps them pursue higher education and ultimately secure employment, gain financial independence and long-term security for themselves and their children. One of the main reasons victims stay with an abuser is because of financial instability.
For the fall 2013 semester, $12,500 has been awarded to five courageous women in our community who have taken the essential steps to move forward from abuse by pursuing degrees in nursing, business management, social science, and psychology.
The 3-mile fun run-walk is the perfect opportunity for families, student club teams, and organizations to get active, improve their fitness, foster a spirit of community involvement and support a great cause. Bring the whole family, strollers are welcome.
Become a sponsor, form a team, or simply donate. Prizes for top fundraisers and largest teams will be awarded. Participants raise pledges from friends, family, classmates and coworkers beforehand for a commitment to complete the 5k fun run-walk. Pledge forms are available online. Please send donations to: Zonta Club of Charles County, P.O. Box 691, White Plains, MD 20695. Checks should be made payable to The Zonta Fund, a component fund of the Community Foundation of Charles County (CFCC), a 501(c)(3) public charity.
For more information, please email ann.rees@verizon.net. To register online, go to events section at: www.zontacharlescounty.org. Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zontacharlescounty
