On Saturday morning, 338 people participated in the Eve Carson Memorial 5k for Education. Students, community members, families and pets were among the turnout.
Eve Marie Carson served as UNC's former student body president before she was kidnapped and murdered in March of 2008. The 5k was started in her honor, with this year being the 17th anniversary of the run.
Proceeds from the event go toward the Eve Marie Carson Memorial Junior-Year Merit Scholarship and the Pi Beta Phi Literacy Fund.
According to the scholarship's website, the award is intended to celebrate junior-year students who have exhibited passion and a personal transformation in their time at UNC — mirroring Carson’s vision and platform.
Carson's vision advocated for a scholarship for students who worked during high school to financially support themselves through college, and as a result were not as involved in positions that lead to typical merit-based scholarships.
At the 5k, runners gathered in front of Bynum Hall for a 7:30 a.m. start time. Pre-race festivities began earlier with the Clef Hangers, a student a capella group on campus, performing the National Anthem.
“Someone from Pi Phi reached out to us and talked about their event and its relationship to Eve Carson, and that the purpose of the event really touched me," Clef Hangers Business Manager, Grant Bergeman said. "I think it’s a very important thing.”
Pi Beta Phi, the sorority that hosts the run, shares philanthropic ideals similar to those of Carson. Chapter President Annie Massey said a passion for bridging the literacy gap, something Carson valued, is embodied through the annual 5k.
“It's really neat to promote childhood literacy,” Massey said. “I think there is a lot of disparities in that throughout the U.S.”
