UNCF to host annual Walk for Education Aug. 2 at Veterans Park

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The United Negro College Fund will host its 41st annual Walk for Education on Saturday, Aug. 2 at Veterans Park. The Milwaukee-based event is part of a national effort to raise scholarship funds and help students "get to and through college."

Latina Brooks, a development associate with UNCF and organizer of the Milwaukee walk, joined us on Thursday, July 24 to offer a preview of the event and the organization’s broader mission.

"UNCF is an 80-year-old organization, and all we do is scholarships," Brooks said. "We work really, really hard every year to raise millions of dollars to help thousands of students obtain their dream of going to college."

Brooks, who has worked with UNCF for nearly two decades, said the impact of the walk goes far beyond the registration fee.

"What we think is so small and so minuscule, 'oh, it’s a registration, oh, it’s just a ticket,' means so much to the students that don’t have the means to get to and through college," she said.

She added that former students often return years later to thank her personally.

"They say ... 'This helped me to get through school. Without UNCF, I wouldn’t have been able to,'" Brooks said. "It just warms my heart."

Information on registration and donations is available by clicking here to visit the UNCF online.