Michelle Banks Organizes the First iSweat 4 CUW 5k Race

On April 22, 2017, Frostburg State University served as the site of the first iSweat 4 CUW 5k fundraiser. The 3.1-mile race was designed and created by senior Michelle Banks in order to raise money and to spread awareness for the non – profit organization County United Way, Inc. The event was open to students, faculty, and community members, and it included music, face painting, and prizes.

County United Way (CUW) is a corporation that aims to provide assistance to communities in Allegany, Garrett, Mineral, and Hampshire County through educational, health, and financial stability programs. They accept donations and fundraiser money to distribute to nonprofit organizations which assist low-income families throughout the four counties.

As a business administration major with a minor in marketing, Banks came across CUW while looking for internships. In her junior year, she became a CUW marketing intern because she is a big supporter of non-profit organizations and she loves helping people. During her tenure with CUW, she created campaign videos, helped raise money, and spread awareness of CUW’s mission. Banks’s internship ended in May 2016, but during her senior year, she decided to return to CUW to put together iSweat 4 CUW, before she graduates in Fall 2017.

While putting the event together, Banks did not have a student organization behind her, but she still received assistance and support from friends, family, and University and community representatives. Banks hopes they will eventually bridge the gap between CUW and Frostburg University and start a CUW organization on campus.

Despite the rain, volunteers and runners gathered on Frostburg’s Bobcat Court on Saturday morning to show their support. Check-in began at 9:45-10:50 a.m. and the race started at 11 a.m. Runners began at Frostburg’s Bobcat Court and winded their way through campus, finishing at around 1 p.m. Tickets for students were $5, and $15 for non-students. The total amount of donations accumulated from the event was over $500.

The proceeds from this event are benefiting Allegany County. Although Banks, like many students, is not a resident of Allegany County, she still wanted to help the county’s communities.

She says, “Remember this is where we are right now, even if this is not where you consider home. This is the university that we go to, and this is the place we are living in right now. It’s important to make an impact wherever you go and in whatever society you belong to at that moment in time.”

To make a donation visit http://cuw.org/