Community Partner and Sponsorships are still available for this upcoming event
100 Black Men of Syracuse Inc. is sponsoring the Winston Gaskin Community Walk for Health & Wellness, on Saturday, September 24, 2022. The annual family-friendly event, which is being offered for the first time at Kirk Park in Syracuse, is free and open to the public. Walk participants will assemble at Kirk Park at 9 a.m. for the walk and features a 3.2-mile walk that will proceed along a recently completed portion of the Onondaga Creekwalk.
Following the formal walk, youth activities will be presented at Kirk Park in an expanded event format in which non-profit community organizations are invited to participate, distributing information about their health and youth programs and services.
To sign up as a community partner, go to https://forms.office.com/r/SZ5rHPPhL9. Volunteer and sponsorship opportunities are also available.
The event, which concludes at 2 p.m., honors Winston Gaskin, an African-American Syracuse resident, pharmacist, Army veteran and community leader who passed away in 2009. The Gaskin Walk is also dedicated to raising awareness about a variety of health issues and promoting healthy lifestyles.
History: Who is Winston Gaskin
Winston Gaskin was born in Kansas and served in the U.S. Army, completing his tour of duty in 1945 as a second lieutenant. He earned college degrees in chemistry and pharmacy from Virginia State College and was a practicing pharmacist for 30 years. The Gaskins moved to Syracuse in 1963. For 10 years, he operated Gaskin’s Pharmacy on South Avenue. In 1987, he was honored as a pioneer in the black community by Syracuse’s Black Leadership Congress. The congress said he became the first black druggist in the city when he opened the pharmacy in 1964.
Winston was also an insurance and investment specialist for Mass. Mutual Insurance Co. As a registered rosarian, he was an accredited judge of roses at state fairs and an active member of both the Men’s Garden Club and the Rose Society of Syracuse. Winston chaired a committee at University United Methodist Church that established the Neighborhood Linking Project, an outreach to the church‘s neighborhood. His leadership of that committee helped lead in 1992 to the formation of Housing Visions – he was co-founder – a non-profit organization that works to increase the availability of quality housing to low- and moderate-income residents throughout the city of Syracuse.
In 2006, Winston and his wife, Vera, moved to Woodbridge, VA, to be near their children. He passed away April 4, 2009 at the age of 87 in Woodbridge.
Winston Gaskin Community Walk for Health & Wellness
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. September 24, 2022
Kirk Park and Onondaga Creekwalk, 1101 South Ave. to 400 W. Borden Ave, .Syracuse
Cost: Free
More Information: Call 315-443-8749 or go to https://100blackmensyr.org/2022/07/09/save-sept-24-for-gaskin-walk/
