6A
NEWSAS^e Cljarlotte $a£t
Thursday, August 10, 2006
CIAA, city focus on growth
Newman
Continued from page 1A
Central and Preferred - to
discuss what could make
parking more successful.
‘There are several things
that we’re looking at. One is
to help
decrease some
of the demand
and offer
m u 11i - d ay
passes for
some of the
real close
parking lots.
Then also just
communicate better, because
as the commissioner said,
we’ve got an aerial photo
graph of parking next to the
Blake (hotel) on Friday and it
was empty,” McMillan said.
'The local organizing com
mittee, now led by business
man Ray Kennedy, will hold
its first meeting to discuss
the 2007 tournament.
CIAA Commissioner Leon
Kerry said this year’s tourna
ment was the best ever for
the league. He said some fans
told him they didn’t think the
tournament could succeed
here, but he never doubted
the move away from longtime
host Raleigh.
“The major comment I’ve
gotten from the CIAA fans
was how great the police
were and how helpful they
were,” Kerry said at a
Wednesday press conference
unveiling the 2007 tourna
ment logo.
Kerry said fans at this
year’s tournament took their
experiences home, which he
Hope for
Liberia
Continued from page 1A
an abandoned building and
renovated it in 2003. In that
building they house a school
where the kids are able to eat
for fi:«e. Already he has des
ignated a site and broken
ground for the recreation cen
ter where he hopes to hold
leadership development pro
grams, Christian education,
and non-violent programs, in
addition to games the kids
can play. However, the orga
nization is just at the ground
level of raising funds for the
1.5 million dollar project, and
they need donations.
Mattaldi has been on the
show FrontPage w/ Bea
Thompson, and hsis reached
out to community leaders
here, but has not heard back
from anyone. “I reached out
to the Bobcats...and the
team’s most ^•aluable player
Emeka Okafor, who is origi
nally fi'om Africa, and still
have gotten no response,”
said Mattaldi.
“Should we wait until some
thing bad happens on the
continent before there is a
response?”
He has mentioned speaking
to churches about helping,
but is always told they
already have a program in
Afnca. “When the Pastor
goes for about four days, that
is not a mission,” said
Mattaldi. “This is a unique
time to take a look at the
problems and get involved.
We must do something before
someone else takes over.”
The native Liberian com
mented on activists and
musician Bono’s, involve
ment in helping in Afiica. “I
don’t want it to be a situation
where white folks do more for
us than we do.”
He is asking members of
the community to donate
whatever they can, be it $100
or$l. “People need food, stu
dents need books,” said
Mattaldi. The organization
will also accept books, com
puters and clothes, but it all
boils down to needing money
to ship the materials to
Afnca.
“We need people with kind
hearts who want to help,”
said Mattaldi.
On the Net:
Hope for Liberia
wmv JiopeforUberia.org.
expects will attract more peo
ple in 2007.
“Charlotte is on fire,” he
said.
The league, which also
signed Kellogg’s and Alltel as
sponsors, has already sold
out its allotment of tickets at
its Hampton, Va., office,
Kerry said. Upper level tick
ets will be less expensive to
offset an increase in the lower
bowl.
“I expect the tournament to
sell out early this year,” he
said. “I think the main thing
about Charlotte as opposed to
other places that we’ve been
is that we’re an event. There’s
no major event like the CIAA
tournament.”
CIAA and Charlotte offi
cials hope the tournament’s
success here will translate to
football. The Pioneer Bowl,
which was moved to
Charlotte last year from
Mobile, Ala., following
Hurricane Katrina, will be
here though 2008. The post
season game pits a team from
the CIAA against the
Southern Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference.
“(The Pioneer Bowl) just
needs to land somewhere for
three years. We know we
have a fan base in Charlotte,”
Kerry said. “Because we do it
with another conference they
want to have it in Atlanta or
they want to have it (some
place else) and I’m trying to
have it here. We’re close to
the fan base here and we
know you need to have it in
one place for at least three
years and develop your fans.”
It might help if CIAA teams
win a few more Pioneer
Bowls. Since 1997, only -
Winston-Salem State
University in 1999 and Shaw
University in 2004 — have
won the game. WSSU is mov
ing to Division I this year.
Calling All
Livingstone College
Alumni and Friends!!!
The Livingstone college Office of Alumni Affairs
cordially invites you to attend an
alumni round-up for the rejuvenation of the
Livingstone College Charlotte Alumni Chapter.
Please come prepared to share your ideas
reiated to successfully engaging alumni in this process.
Tuesday, August 8th, 7 P.M.
Gethsemane A.M.E. Zion Church
531 Campus Street • Charlotte, NC 28216
Jf we work together in the spirit of cooperation, and collaboration -
collectively we can take Livingstone College “To The Next Level ”
■Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr. - President
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