All-America athlete and Academic all-America student Sharonda Johnson speaks at the 3rd Annual Let Me Play Luncheon. |
3rd Annual Let Me Play Luncheon Tops $100,000
Nov. 17, 2006
Charlotte, N.C. - Athletic Director Judy Rose announced today that the 3rd Annual "Let Me Play" Luncheon exceeded its goal by raising more than $100,000 for the Charlotte 49ers women's athletics program. A record of nearly 400 people attended the event, which was held Tuesday, November 14 at The Westin in Uptown Charlotte.
"I am thrilled with both the record-breaking attendance and the dollars raised at the luncheon." Athletic Director Judy Rose said. "The credit for passing the $100,000 mark goes to everyone in the room - sponsors, donors, student-athletes, coaches and staff. It is a real tribute to the values associated through achievement and participation in sports."
Created in 2004, the event is intended to attract and mobilize influential women throughout the Charlotte community in an effort to illustrate the importance athletics can play in the development of young women. For the third straight year, Wachovia served as the event's Presenting Sponsor.
"We are thankful to Wachovia for their continued support of women's issues in Charlotte and especially their interest and support of Charlotte 49ers women's athletics," said Assistant Director of the Athletic Foundation Kelly Weatherman. "Wachovia's Wealth Management Division and, in particular, Madelyn Caple and Susan Johnson continue to be instrumental leaders in this event."
Pat Rodgers, President & CEO of Rodgers Builders, served as chairperson for the event. Other notable attendees included Lisa Lewis Dubois, wife of UNC Charlotte Chancellor Phil Dubois, Mariam Cannon Hayes, Dale Halton, Trudi Lacey, General Manager of the Charlotte Sting, Janet Lutz, wife of 49ers men's basketball coach Bobby Lutz, Lee Armstrong, Vice President and General Manager of WSOC-TV and Martha Woodward, wife of former UNC Charlotte Chancellor Jim Woodward.
This year's event featured guest speaker Karen Shugart, a former Charlotte 49ers women's basketball player who currently serves as Assistant to the Special Agent in Charge within the Presidential Protection Division of the United States Secret Service. Ms. Shugart began her career as a North Carolina State Probation Officer before moving on to the United States Secret Service where she served first in the Charlotte Field Office and later in the Department of Homeland Security and the Presidential Protective Detail.
Due to an overseas assignment, Ms. Shugart was unable to attend the event. In a pre-taped video, Shugart spoke about the Charlotte 49ers athletic scholarship program which she credits with providing her the economic freedom to excel in a University environment and focus on scholastics.
"Through athletics," Shugart noted, "I developed my self esteem, my appreciation for hard work and personal fitness, my sense of belonging to something greater than myself, dedication and self-confidence."
Senior track and field all-America Sharonda Johnson also spoke to the group about the influence athletics has on her life. A 3.877 chemistry major and mathematics minor, Johnson is the first 49er, male or female, to earn all-America honors in her sport and Academic all-America honors in the classroom. Her most prestigious award came in 2005 when she was named the National Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Sports Scholar of the Year. Johnson credits athletics with providing her the "confidence, dedication, and competitiveness" needed to move on to the next phase of her life.
"Track and field has supplied both a means to secure an education and a chance for personal growth," Johnson said. "I would truly not be the woman I am today without my experiences as a student-athlete."
Plans are underway for the 4th Annual "Let Me Play" event to be held in November 2007. For more information, please contact the Charlotte 49ers Athletic Foundation at (704) 687-6024.
