Nov. 19, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Dozens of members of the University of North Carolina men's and women's lacrosse teams were among 1,000 runners who competed Saturday, November 15 in a five-kilometer on-campus run to raise funds for the Eve Marie Carson Memorial Fund, First Book and Clyde Erwin Elementary School. Nearly $23,500 were raised for the charities.

The official name of the event was the Memorial 5K for Education, held in honor of the former student body president who died under tragic circumstances last spring.

The event was sponsored by Pi Beta Phi sorority and Phil Delta Theta fraternity. The 5K had the largest turnout of any such event held in Chapel Hill, according to organizers.

Five Tar Heel men's lacrosse players are members of Phi Delta Theta -- Tommy D'Alessandro, Michael Jarvis, Michael Burns, Sean Burke and Joe Howard.

The 5K run concluded at the front of South Building after winding its way through historic Polk Place.

Two-thirds of the proceeds from the 5K will benefit the Eve Marie Carson Memorial Junior-Year Merit Scholarship. Carson had begun creating a junior-year scholarship while she was in office as student body president. The other third of the money will be split between First Book, a nonprofit organization that gives books to preschoolers in low income families and to Clyde Erwin Elementary School to improve test scores of underprivileged students.