The first memorial 5k run for beloved teacher Erin Walker, who passed away May 2022 will be held at CYHS, Saturday May 13. Walker was an avid runner and was always passionate about fitness, so the idea of a 5k was an easy one when raising money for the Erin Walker Memorial Scholarship. 

     “This will go towards funding next year’s scholarships and part of that is an essay of what makes you a good human,” said CYHS teacher and board vice president Malerie Kelly. 

    A board of nine people including teachers, parents and CYHS graduates worked together to organize the color run. The planning committee started in December 2022 and have been meeting monthly since to bring this event to reality. 

    “It’s not a single person job by any means…this 5k is exactly what she would be doing for anyone else,” said board president and 2020 CYHS graduate Nick Basile. 

    To fund the run, local businesses and other groups pitched in to sponsor the event. There are four different levels of sponsorship: family ($100), silver ($250), gold($500) and platinum ($1000). Currently, there are 12 business sponsorships as well as a sponsorship from Walker’s sorority, Alpha Sigma and Kappa Delta Phi.

    “They [sorority] were going for the highest level of sponsorship, which was $1,000, and they ended up doing it twice,” said Kelly. 

    Basile had the idea to throw color into the 5k in order to “brighten it up” and make it closer to a celebration of Walker’s life and her impact on the CYSD community. 

    “She was my second mom. She played a really big role in my life and my family’s  life,” said Basile. “ I was a transfer student from York Catholic, so I was a small fish coming into a big pond she always told me.”

    Choosing the high school campus was an easy one for a multitude of reasons. Walker was a class advisor, varsity club advisor, track coach, student council advisor and so much more . 

    “We chose the Central campus because she was Central; she lived and breathed Central. We’re going to use the homecoming parade route because that was her thing…to keep it connected to her,” said Kelly. 

    However, the 5k is more than a run, it connects people who enjoy running and those who don’t. The event welcomes the entire community. There will be volunteer opportunities, food trucks, face painting, bounce houses and a kids fun run. The events’ purpose is to raise money as well as elevating the message Walker spread. 

    “Her motto was always ‘be a good human’ whether it’s running the race to help fund the scholarships or even volunteering their time,” said Kelly. 

    So far 120 people are registered. The pre-registration costs $25 or $35 at the door to fund the scholarships given each year by Charlea’s Angel. The registration opens at 9 a.m. and the race begins at 10:30 a.m. Each participant will receive a t-shirt as well.  The scholarship is available to seniors going to a college, technical or trade school that are actively involved in their school or community.