The mayor of the City of Toledo and area church leaders will join The University of Toledo to kick off a “Campaign Critical” fundraiser to support scholarships for African American students in the health professions.

The initiative is lead by the President’s Committee for African American Recruitment, Retention and Scholarship Support, or PCARS, which was formed in 2006 to enhance the recruitment and retention of African Americans in the fields of health sciences, which include medicine, pharmacy, nursing and physician assistant.

A kickoff event for the fundraising campaign will be 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23 at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, 1502 N. Detroit Ave., with UT President Sharon L. Gaber, Toledo Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson and the Rev. James Willis of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church.

The committee’s goal is to increase the number of African-American health-care workers in the Toledo region as an important part of the solution to address the health-care needs of African Americans in the community.

Additional religious leaders active in PCARS who will join Pastor Willis in support of the initiative at the news conference include: the Rev. Cedric Brock of Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church, the Rev. Waverly Earley of Wesley United Methodist Church, the Rev. K. David Johnson of Third Baptist Church, the Rev. John Walthall III of Mount Ararat Missionary Baptist Church and Sister Virginia Welch of St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11 (Feb. 24, 2016)
13 ABC (Feb. 24, 2016)

Tags: College of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences