June 11, 2008

Area Educational Institutions Win An Unexpected Financial Boost
at the Ninth Annual Cooley 5K Race For Education

AWARD WINNERS! Jackson Community College The Cooley Award: $1,000.00 CW Neff Elementary 50% Award: $4,244.26 Cooley Law School 25% Award: $2,122.13 DeWitt Public Schools 10% Award: $848.85 Owosso High School 10% Award: $848.85 Pinecrest Elementary 5% Award: $424.43 Total Amount of Awards: $9,488.52

Grand Ledge, Michigan’s Neff Elementary School came out the big winner of the 9th annual Cooley 5K Race for Education on Friday, June 6 as the event’s top proceeds winner.

Though severe weather caused a half-hour delay to the start of the 5K race, nearly 300 runners from across Michigan participated. This year’s Cooley 5K race overall winners were: Jerome Recker, 25, of Lansing with a time of 16:06 (overall male winner); Shannon Audretsch, 24, of Okemos with a time of 18:48 (overall female winner). Both Recker and Audretsch clinched last year’s race title, too. Overall master’s male and female winners were Eric Stuber of Lansing (17:43) and Maryellen Stornant of Portland (20:34).

Drawing from its participant entry fees and corporate sponsorships, the annual Cooley 5K race disburses proceeds of the race through five awards. Each 5K participant nominates an educational institution, which is put into a random drawing that determines the winners. Neff Elementary School was the top winner receiving 50 percent of the race proceeds. Neff was nominated by runner Steve Haakenson of Grand Ledge.

The award amounts for each of the prize winners will be disclosed at a future date. In recent years, awards distributed totaled $10,000 or more.

Other winning schools were 25 percent proceeds winner Cooley Law School nominated by Levi Tkach, the Kids Program at Schavey Road Elementary in DeWitt (10 percent and nominated by Erika Reagan), Owosso High School (10 percent and nominated by Kate Keating), and Pinecrest Elementary in East Lansing (5 percent, nominated by Myles Grandstaff). In a separate award drawing, Jackson Community College won the Cooley award, a $1,000 cash prize donated by the Thomas M. Cooley Law School and randomly selected from participants’ nominations.

"The Cooley 5K Race for Education is an extension of Cooley Law School’s mission of serving the community," said Terry Carella, race director. "The event is an opportunity for the community to gather in support of education. The race is a fun way to achieve this while raising funds every year to enrich Michigan education."

The Cooley 5K Race for Education consisted of a 5K run in downtown Lansing, a Kids’ Race around the Michigan Capitol (approximately ½ mile) and a Kids’ Capitol Dash (100 yards). The 5K run is part of the Greater Lansing Playmakers Series, a 12-race running series in which runners compete for various points and prizes. The Cooley Law School Race for Education has raised approximately $70,000 for educational institutions since the race began in 2000.

This year’s event included a special random drawing among race participants to win an autographed copy of the cartoon book 99% Perspiration by Jef Mallett, of Lansing and the creator of the nationally syndicated cartoon character Frazz. Mallett is also a noted triathlete and runner. The book winners were Glenn Morrison, Mike Coates, Josh Slater, Kathy Boak, Linda Leach, Andy Draheim, Ted Gray, Brenda Clark, Joshua Graham and Stephanie Swart.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country and includes the largest African-American and second-largest minority student enrollment. Founded in 1972, it operates J.D. programs in Michigan's capital city in Lansing, in suburban Oakland County, and in downtown Grand Rapids. Today, Cooley Law School has more than 12,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers joint degree and Master of Law programs. Cooley offers enrollment three times a year; in January, May and September. Additional information about Cooley can be found at www.cooley.edu.