MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The University High School Hawks community will take to the track with love in the spirit of a beloved teacher.
The school’s ninth annual Hawk Walk to benefit the Julie Foster Foundation is scheduled for Friday on the campus cross country course.
Lizzy Kolar, who founded the Hawk Walk, said the first event was held in 2010 after history teacher Julie Foster was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer.
“At the time she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer at the age of 47,” said Foster. “They usually don’t even start screening for colon cancer until your 50, so we put together this walk for her.”
The first Hawk Walk, she said, raised $15,000 to help with Foster’s medical expenses. However, the teacher gave some of the money back so her students could start a fund dedicated to helping UHS faculty in their time of need.
Since then, the Hawks have run for many noble causes.
“Over the years, we have raised money for a different cause ranging from cancer, to heart disease, to autism,” she said. “We give some of our proceeds to the selected charity of the year, but we also make sure we donate to the emergency medical fund for the faculty and staff.”
Every year, a group of Hawk Upperclassmen help with various task involving the Hawk Walk. This includes working into the summer on professional e-mails sent to businesses, communicating with potential sponsors, and designing t-shirts which will be given out during the walk. Kolar says the amount of effort put in by students has always pleasantly surprised her.
“The students step up every year, they put on a great event,” she said. “They do a really nice job to bringing the community in need to support those in need and to supporting a great cause.”
Registration is $10 and people will be welcomed to walk the day of the event. Much like years past, another cause has been taken up for the Hawk Walk; this year, proceeds will go to a mental health cause.
“This year we’re raising money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness,” said Kolar. ” Which I think is a great cause this year considering everything that’s going on in today’s world.”
The Hawk Walk begins at 1 p.m.