Walker Center receives $10,000 grant

A grant of $10,000 was given to ECU's Walker Center by SpeechEasy International to cover future expenses and projects of the center.

Glen Gilbert, dean of the College of Health and Human Performance, said the decision on how to use the grant will be made at a later date.

"It's undesignated. We're putting it into our account and we'll see what we do with it later," said Gilbert.

SpeechEasy International, a division of Janus, has shared a history with ECU as they marketed the anti-stuttering technology developed by campus researchers and had ties with ECU through a wheelchair treadmill device associated with the campus.

Gilbert said ECU officials were not expecting the grant but were pleasantly surprised when it was announced.

The Walker Center became a part of the College of Health and Human Performance after it was transitioned from a private center to a division of the university over a year ago, a move that placed it under the control of Gilbert.

Changes have been made to the center, which Gilbert said had gone dormant for a period of time. It now has a different organization and board of directors with a new set of goals.

"There are a lot of efficiencies in moving it here," Gilbert said.

"We can make the budget go much further, and we have."

Gilbert said Walker has a strong reverence for fair play and believes the Olympics and athletic competitions should all be played on a level field without one team having an overwhelming training advantage.

Along with a sense of fairness, Walker was involved in the ParaOlympics, helping disadvantaged individuals compete in sporting events.

This reverence for fair play and desire to help the disabled led to the creation of the Walker Center in order to help athletes who lack advanced training technology and adequate funding in their home countries and allow individuals with disabilities to take part in athletics.

The center has helped trained athletes from a number of nations such as Ghana, Burundi and Mongolia.

David Loy, assistant professor for the department of recreation and leisure studies, works with the Walker Center Adapted Sports Program, the arm of the center that offers sports and training opportunities to people with disabilities.

"A lot of individuals with disabilities do not have the financial means to participate in sports and recreation ... we try to provide those opportunities to people in the Pitt County area," said Loy.

This writer can be contacted at news@theeastcarolinian.com.