East Palo Alto YMCA named beneficiary of Community Day at Stanford Fun Run/Walk :03/03

NEWS RELEASE

3/4/03

CONTACT: Kate Chesley, University Communications: (650) 725-3697

East Palo Alto YMCA named beneficiary of Community Day at Stanford Fun Run/Walk

The East Palo Alto YMCA, which is raising money for a new Bell Street facility, will be the beneficiary of a 5-kilometer fun run/walk scheduled as part of Community Day at Stanford on Sunday, April 6. Participants of every age and experience level from serious runners to casual walkers are welcome.

Community Day, which was held for the first time last year, is a campus open house designed to promote partnerships and increase understanding among Stanford and its neighbors, especially the residents of Palo Alto, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Woodside, Mountain View and Portola Valley. The event drew about 6,500 to campus last spring. Community Day events, which will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., are free. Most will be centered on or near the university's Main Quadrangle and Oval at the end of Palm Drive. Free parking will be provided, and food will be available for purchase.

The fun run/walk, which is sponsored by Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and supported by Community Day and the Haas Center for Public Service, begins at 9 a.m. at Stanford Stadium. Students from various campus groups, such as Phi Kappa Psi, Sigma Chi, Alpha Phi Omega, Gavilan and the Stanford women's swim team, are helping to coordinate the run.

Registration for the event begins at 8 a.m. The course will wind throughout campus, ending at Community Day celebrations near the university's Oval. Prizes will be offered for winners based on age, gender and experience level. Tom Knight, who is well established in the certification of Stanford-area races, will certify the course.

Among the supporters of the race is Whole Foods, which is providing energy bars and fruit to participants. Prizes have been donated by such companies as Runners' High, Metro Sports, Pizz'a Chicago, European Skin Care, Macy's and Gap.

The East Palo Alto YMCA, a member of the YMCA of the Mid-Peninsula, is in the midst of a $13 million capital campaign to build and endow a 37,000-square-foot community facility in the heart of East Palo Alto. The YMCA currently offers services to more than 800 children and families in East Palo Alto. The new building, which is anticipated to serve as many as 5,000 to 6,000 individuals, will include a wellness center, gymnasiums, computer laboratories with after-school study groups and child care.

Preregistration entry fees are $15 for individuals, $12 for students and $40 for a group of four. Runners and walkers will receive special Community Day at Stanford Fun Run T-shirts with their registration packets. Online registration is available at www.active.com. For more information, call Community Day at Stanford at (650) 724-2933.

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