Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 14, 1994 TAG: 9409140053
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
\ A college course brought J.J. Maybury to the West End Center for Youth in Southwest Roanoke last spring.
Maybury, a junior at Roanoke College, volunteered at the center to meet the community service requirement of an honors program sociology/psychology course. For three months, he tutored young people who came to the center for educational programs, field trips and daily recreation.
The experience was beneficial, both for him and, he hoped, the youngsters.
Near the end of the semester, a fellow tutor told Maybury that the center had serious money needs.
He'd seen the computer terminals that had no software. He'd heard of possible cuts in the number of children the center could serve.
Maybury, 21, wanted to help.
An avid runner and member of the Roanoke College cross-country and track teams, Maybury organized the "West End Run," a 5K run and one-mile fun run/walk to be held Saturday. Proceeds, primarily from $8 advance registration and $10 day-of-race registration fees, will go to the West End Center.
"I've always wanted to put on a road race," Maybury said. "I proposed the idea in May to the [center's] board of directors. They were looking for new ideas to raise money. They liked it."
Maybury, of Virginia Beach, had plenty of experience running races - he is a two-time all-Old Dominion Athletic Conference cross-country runner - but none in planning them. Working pretty much alone, he wrote letters to companies and organizations soliciting donations. He raised $1,700 from sponsors, including Coca-Cola, Cox Cable Roanoke, Central Fidelity National Bank, First Team Auto Mall and chiropractor Gary Garst - enough to cover the cost of the race.
Maybury plotted the runners' course, ensuring that it included the portion of Patterson Avenue Southwest where the West End Center is located. He distributed fliers and had T-shirts printed.
"I didn't think it would be as much work as it has been," Maybury said. "It takes time and money to do this. But I found that people were willing to donate because of the cause."
Karen Ramsey, president of the center's board of directors, said the center has an estimated $30,000 shortfall for 1994.
Fall registration has been limited to 100 children, down from the 140 who were registered during the spring term, Ramsey said.
"We had to limit it to 100 because we just don't have the money," she said. "It was heart-wrenching at registration. It's the worst feeling in the world to turn kids away."
Kaye Hale, center director, said she had 18 children on a waiting list and expected the number to grow this week.
"If money comes through, the first thing we're going to do is add children to the roster," Ramsey said.
The center needs regular sources of funding, she said. Though corporate support in the past year has increased - including donations of time and equipment after thefts this summer - there is an absence of ongoing sources that "we can count on for the budget," she said.
Part of that could be attributed to poor promotion, Ramsey said. The run is "one way for us to give people an opportunity to get involved, either by actually running or by sponsoring a team," she said. "It's an opportunity for us to get our name out."
Participant response has been steady. About 43 people have registered.
"Some people warned me that putting on a race involves a lot of preparation well in advance," Maybury said. "They told me starting in May was too late.
"But I think people will come out. They'll run."
The West End Run will be held Saturday morning beginning on the Winchester Avenue side of Wasena Park. Registration is at 7. A one-mile fun run/walk begins at 8:45; the 5K race at 9. A $2 pancake breakfast, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Roanoke-Downtown, begins at 10. For more information, call the West End Center at 342-0902.
by CNB