THANK YOU FOR A SUCCESSFUL WALK!
On behalf of our UNCF scholars and member schools, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for your support of our recent National Walk for Education at Brookdale Park in Bloomfield, NJ. Whether you sponsored, ran, walked, or donated, your involvement champions UNCF’s mission of education, equity, and upward mobility.
Why We Walked: During our closing ceremony, we were honored to hear from Annaya Baynes, a UNCF scholarship recipient, Spelman College alumna, and current graduate student at NYU. Annaya shared her powerful journey:
“HBCUs and UNCF hold a dear, dear place in my heart. They are the only reason I can stand before you today and list off various accomplishments. Without Spelman, I don’t believe I would have found my voice and security within myself so quickly. Without UNCF, I would not have believed that I truly had a space in academia. I would not be living my dreams of being able to engage with scholarly thought at the graduate level. I would not be helping the next generation achieve their dreams through my work at the non-profit Girls Write Now. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank UNCF for all that it has done to clear the way for me and others to achieve our wildest aspirations. I am so thankful that I can speak before you all today, especially for the 80th anniversary of this life-changing organization. May we continue lighting the path for Black youth to create a better world.”
After the walk, participants enjoyed a variety of fun activities, including African dance and drumming, Double Dutch exhibitions, face painting, and Mr. Softie ice cream.
We would like to thank our national sponsors, including Colgate, and our local sponsors: Pixley Hill Foundation, Wyndham, the Giants Organization, PSE&G, Shell NJ Complex, New Jersey Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, NJM, PepsiCo, and all our generous donors.
A special thanks goes to our incredible volunteers, including students from Union High School’s Key Club, as well as our special guests, retired Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dante Hall and Olympian Hortencia Aliaga, who led the run.
As UNCF continues to send more students to and through college, there’s still time to support our mission.
