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INSIDE ▼ Health system plans drone delivery
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PAGE 2A Friday, April 3, 2026 • Vol. 26 • No. 13
thecharlotteweekly.com
@southcltweekly
Run Jen Run 5K and Festival breaks fundraising record CHARLOTTE – More than 1,300 participants took strides for local breast cancer patients at the 14th annual Run Jen Run 5K and Festival.
To date, the event has raised more than $241,000 to support The Go Jen Go Foundation and the local breast cancer community. This year’s total was the highest in the event’s 14-year history. “Our hearts are full after such an incredible 14th year of Run Jen Run,” said Susan Evren, executive director of Go Jen Go. “Run Jen Run embodies Jen’s legacy of compassion in action, helping local breast cancer patients navigate the financial challenges of diagnosis, treatment and recovery. We are so grateful for our grantees, fighters, survivors and thrivers, sponsors, donors, participants, ambassadors, volunteers and race committee.” The event featured a 5K, fun run, festival with music and a family fun zone March 21 at Symphony Park in SouthPark. There was also an expo area with
community-driven sponsors and partners, Jen’s Garden of Hope with Signs of Hope on display, and Hope Village for breast cancer fighters, survivors and thrivers to celebrate and connect. Other event highlights by the numbers include: • 1,313 participants and 83 teams • 130 breast cancer survivors, thrivers and fighters • 86 volunteers • 74 sponsors and partners • 40 Go Jen Go Grantees • 13 states represented Consolidated Planning returned as title sponsor. Presenting sponsors were Coastal Bridge Advisors, Novant Health and Smiley’s 4 C’s Charitable Endowment. Proceeds from Run Jen Run allow The Go Jen Go Foundation to provide hope and critical support to families in the greater Charlotte area who are facing the financial burden of a breast cancer diagnosis. On the web: gojengo.org
The 14th annual Run Jen Run 5K and Festival attracted 1,313 participants and 83 teams. Photo courtesy of Go Jen Go Foundation
SouthPark After 5 returns to Symphony Park this spring
SouthPark After 5 is presented by SouthPark Community Partners and produced by Southern Entertainment. Photos courtesy of SouthPark Community Partners
CHARLOTTE – SouthPark After 5 will return six times this spring.
Each event features live music, family-friendly activities, food trucks and mobile bars. The free evening entertainment series has attracted 80,000 attendees since it began in 2023. This spring’s series will be the final SouthPark After 5 before Symphony Park closes for a year-long renovation through a public-private partnership among SouthPark Community Partners, the City of Charlotte and Simon Property Group. Community events will return to the park after the completion of construction in late 2027. “SouthPark After 5 is exactly the kind of community-driven experience that belongs at Symphony Park,” said Adam Rhew, president and CEO of SouthPark Community Partners. “This free, family-friendly event embodies our vision for the park’s future
as an asset for the entire city.” SouthPark After 5 takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. every Thursday from April 16 to May 21 at Symphony Park at the corner of Barclay Downs Drive and Carnegie Boulevard, next to SouthPark Mall. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to sit and picnic on the lawn as a variety of bands perform rock, country, soul and tributes. Opening acts play from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Main acts perform from 7 to 9 p.m. The entertainment lineup will include: • April 16 – Coconut Groove Band with the Bald Brothers, plus a free game station thanks to U.S. Bank, a Camp slime bar thanks to HomeTrust Bank and the Charlotte FC gaming van. • April 23 – Bourbon Sons with Caroline & Omar, plus a free bubble station thanks to U.S. Bank and a Camp slime bar thanks to HomeTrust Bank. • April 30 – Java Band with Rod Fiske,
Carolina Commercial breathes new life into malls CHARLOTTE – When a small-town community mall sits dark and underutilized, some commercial real estate firms may look the other way. Carolina Commercial looks closer.
The Charlotte-based real estate advisory firm revitalizes distressed shopping centers in secondary and tertiary markets, restoring them to thriving community assets. Carolina Commercial broke ground in
plus a free coloring station thanks to U.S. Bank and a Camp slime bar thanks to HomeTrust Bank. • May 7 – On the Border Ultimate Eagles Tribute with Ryan & Woody and the United States Navy Band, plus a free game station thanks to U.S. Bank, and free sunflowers for the first 500 guests thanks to HomeTrust Bank. In addition to general admission, the May 7 concert will also offer a VIP section to celebrate the Truist Championship. • May 14 – Landslide Tribute to Fleetwood Mac with Square Roots, plus a free bubble station thanks to U.S. Bank and a Camp slime bar thanks to HomeTrust Bank. • May 21 – Captain Mike & The Shipwrecked with Drew Nathan Duo, plus a free coloring station thanks to U.S. Bank, Camp slime bar thanks to HomeTrust Bank, and the Charlotte FC gaming van.
A general view of the Cup Series garage at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where volunteers from the speedway, Coca-Cola Consolidated and NASCAR, alongside local and state leaders, packed meals for Second Harvest Food Bank.
Photo courtesy of Charlotte Motor Speedway
CONCORD – Coca-Cola Consolidated joined local, state and NASCAR officials March 25 at Charlotte Motor Speedway to pack more than 50,000 meals for Second Harvest Food Bank.
the founding family. Carolina Commercial was brought in to reimagine the property for a new generation of shoppers while preserving the mall’s role as a community hub. The redevelopment includes a curated tenant mix and physical upgrades. Carolina Commercial secured new retail tenants including TJ Maxx, Burlington and
The event brought together 150 volunteers from across the NASCAR industry, including Coca-Cola Racing Family members Austin Dillon and Kyle Petty, Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles. Christine Motherwell, chief customer officer at Coca-Cola Consolidated, explained that her company intends to pack and serve 250,000 meals by the Fourth of July in honor of America’s 250th birthday. “It’s very important for us to give back to the communities where we do business and where our customers and consumers live,” Motherwell said. “It is important for us to invest in the territories that we operate in.” Together, the group assembled meals to support families across the region and make a meaningful impact on the community. Each box included four servings of vegetables, fruits, proteins and grains. “What I see here today is the generosity of community – everyone working together to provide something so important to those who need it,” Lyles said. “The effort to pack 50,000, yes 50,000 meals, for Second Harvest Food Bank and its network of local pantries is amazing and possible only through the strength and determination of everyone gathered here, with the collective mindset that we are going to serve our people, the ones that need it most.” Charlotte Motor Speedway was the first stop in a series of meal-packing events across North Carolina. The meals will be distributed to elementary school pantries at R. Brown McAllister, Winecoff, Wolf Meadow and Weddington Hills in Cabarrus County, as well as the Rowan County Second Harvest facility, which serves Rowan, Cabarrus and Stanly counties. “Across our communities, families are still
Story continues, see CHARLOTTE page 3A
Story continues, see COCA-COLA page 3A
Carolina Commercial serves as an embedded real estate, construction and finance partner for its clients. The firm specializes in repositioning shopping centers with large vacancies. Photo courtesy of Carolina Commercial
February on an $18 million revitalization of the 250,000-square-foot Biggs Park Mall in Lumberton. In addition to leading the redevelopment, the firm has been overseeing leasing, property and asset management, and all future daily operations. Biggs Park Mall has anchored retail life in Robeson County since 1985 when it became a partially enclosed mall, and remains owned by fifth-generation descendants of
Coca-Cola Consolidated helps pack 50,000 meals at speedway