Stamford High Wins MarcUS for Change Spirit Award for Second Year
STAMFORD, CT – September 25, 2015 – The 3rd Annual MarcUS for Change 5K Walk & Run kicked off the 1st Annual US Day on
Sunday, September 20, 2015 in Stamford’s downtown Mill River Park. The 5K was a collaboration of two 501(c)3 foundations, the Stamford Public Education Foundation (SPEF) and MarcUS for Change, drawing a crowd of approximately 400 participants, and raising over $70,000 to date. US Day involved over 100 volunteers and more than 1,000 event participants in total.
Top tier sponsors included BMO Capital Market, PwC, the Stamford Museum & Nature Center, The Canida Family, and First County Bank. The complete list of top tier sponsors follows. All proceeds support SPEF’s nationally recognized mentoring initiatives and other MarcUS for Change collaborative partnerships in support of at-risk youth.
This year’s US Day Collaborative was comprised of eight local groups: MarcUS for Change, SPEF, the City of Stamford, Mill River Park Collaborative, Kids Helping Kids, the Mayor’s Multicultural Council of Stamford, Fleet Feet Sports, and Chelsea Piers Athletic Club. All activities falling under the US Day umbrella event were centered around the empowerment, education, and celebration of diversity within Stamford’s youth.
Festivities included the MarcUS for Change 5K, a fun-run and obstacle course for children designed by Chelsea Piers, a multicultural parade led by Mayor David Martin, international dance performances coordinated by the Mayor’s Multicultural Council, Zumba and yoga demonstrations by Chelsea Piers, food trucks, as well as family-centered entertainment. Over 40 diverse organizations and businesses participated (many of which provided fun and educational activities for attendees), all focused on helping youth achieve healthy
personal, academic, social and career-ready skills for success. Each child received a free US Day passport which helped guide and encourage them to visit the various “zones” in the park.
The event also featured special guest appearances: Jenna Hanchard, Emmy-nominated news reporter from KING-5, Seattle, Washington and Ahmad Mickens, owner of RF Boxing. Stamford native Angelica Salem, a Pace University honors student who is pursuing a career as a recording artist, performed a couple songs on stage. Also from Stamford, Chordale Booker, a professional boxer who recently qualified for the Olympic Boxing Trials, also shared some time on stage as an inspirational speaker.
Stamford High School won the Spirit Award along with a check for $1,000 (designated towards the school’s PTO) for being the Stamford school with the most affiliated 5K participants, coming in at 86 registrations. Cheerleaders from various schools welcomed participants back at the finish line and Football Team Members joined the event in full force.
Complete List of Top-Tier Sponsors for the 3rd Annual MarcUS for Change 5K
Gold Sponsors:
BMO Capital Markets, The Canida Family, PWC, Stamford Museum & Nature Center
Silver Sponsors:
First County Bank, Fleet Feet Sports
Bronze Sponsors:
The Berkowitz Law Firm, Bloomberg L.P., Connecticut Film Center, Elizabeth DiRusso, Lightpath, NAGI Jewelers, Nestle Waters, Xerox
Team Coach Sponsors:
The Buccino Family, Tami Greig, Juanita James & Dudley Williams, Mazda of Stamford, The O’Halloran Family, Mary & Patrick Ryan, The Schoenherr Family, Shoreline Painting, Sister Golden, Eileen & Fred Springer, Stephen Verses Property Services, LLC, Valerie & Daniel Willey
Top tier sponsors included BMO Capital Market, PwC, the Stamford Museum & Nature Center, The Canida Family, and First County Bank. The complete list of top tier sponsors follows. All proceeds support SPEF’s nationally recognized mentoring initiatives and other MarcUS for Change collaborative partnerships in support of at-risk youth.
This year’s US Day Collaborative was comprised of eight local groups: MarcUS for Change, SPEF, the City of Stamford, Mill River Park Collaborative, Kids Helping Kids, the Mayor’s Multicultural Council of Stamford, Fleet Feet Sports, and Chelsea Piers Athletic Club. All activities falling under the US Day umbrella event were centered around the empowerment, education, and celebration of diversity within Stamford’s youth.
Festivities included the MarcUS for Change 5K, a fun-run and obstacle course for children designed by Chelsea Piers, a multicultural parade led by Mayor David Martin, international dance performances coordinated by the Mayor’s Multicultural Council, Zumba and yoga demonstrations by Chelsea Piers, food trucks, as well as family-centered entertainment. Over 40 diverse organizations and businesses participated (many of which provided fun and educational activities for attendees), all focused on helping youth achieve healthy 
personal, academic, social and career-ready skills for success. Each child received a free US Day passport which helped guide and encourage them to visit the various “zones” in the park.
The event also featured special guest appearances: Jenna Hanchard, Emmy-nominated news reporter from KING-5, Seattle, Washington and Ahmad Mickens, owner of RF Boxing. Stamford native Angelica Salem, a Pace University honors student who is pursuing a career as a recording artist, performed a couple songs on stage. Also from Stamford, Chordale Booker, a professional boxer who recently qualified for the Olympic Boxing Trials, also shared some time on stage as an inspirational speaker.
Stamford High School won the Spirit Award along with a check for $1,000 (designated towards the school’s PTO) for being the Stamford school with the most affiliated 5K participants, coming in at 86 registrations. Cheerleaders from various schools welcomed participants back at the finish line and Football Team Members joined the event in full force.
Complete List of Top-Tier Sponsors for the 3rd Annual MarcUS for Change 5K
Gold Sponsors:
BMO Capital Markets, The Canida Family, PWC, Stamford Museum & Nature Center
Silver Sponsors:
First County Bank, Fleet Feet Sports
Bronze Sponsors:
The Berkowitz Law Firm, Bloomberg L.P., Connecticut Film Center, Elizabeth DiRusso, Lightpath, NAGI Jewelers, Nestle Waters, Xerox
Team Coach Sponsors:
The Buccino Family, Tami Greig, Juanita James & Dudley Williams, Mazda of Stamford, The O’Halloran Family, Mary & Patrick Ryan, The Schoenherr Family, Shoreline Painting, Sister Golden, Eileen & Fred Springer, Stephen Verses Property Services, LLC, Valerie & Daniel Willey
