The Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation (WHGF) annual Going for the Gold benefit had inspirational honorees, beautiful performances by WHGF participants and even a fun fundraising challenge. This year’s honorees were Olympic gold medalist swimmer/trailblazing broadcaster Donna de Varona, Marriott executive George Ntim and Fisk University gymnastics coach Corrinne Wright Tarver.
“I’ve known Wendy for quite a long time, but this is the first time I’ve had a chance to experience anything with the foundation. I’m very humbled that they invited me,” said Tarver, who received the WHGF Spirit of Sport Award. In 2022, she was named Fisk’s first-ever women’s head gymnastics coach, making it the first HBCU institution to launch a gymnastics program. She said the first year was exciting and the enthusiastic reaction was a bit overwhelming. At every meet there were alumni from a myriad of HBCUs in attendance.
“Prior to going to Fisk [where she also serves as athletic director] I was coaching in club gymnastics at a gym similar to what Wendy has,” said Tarver. “It’s always been very important that we have access to the sport of gymnastics and being able to expose young people to the sport. The lessons it teaches you are important.”
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Mayor Eric Adams made an appearance and was duly impressed by what he saw. He delivered a proclamation about the foundation, and Hilliard appreciated the mayor’s belief in youth sports.
“Having him there was really special,” said Hilliard. “He spoke directly to the kids and gave a really wonderful story that resonated with everybody in the room. It also gave me the opportunity to let him know we are looking for a dedicated gymnastics space in the city.”
A fun part of the evening is a fundraising effort in which the young gymnasts conduct a flip-a-thon, flipping for donations. “The kids have two roles—they get to perform. People don’t often see live gymnastics right in front of them,” said Hilliard. “The kids stepped up as they always do. Then the top athletes do as many flips as they can in a minute and people pledge an amount per flip. There’s a lot excitement. People can see exactly what they’re donating to.”
For the second consecutive year, the event was hosted by Greenberg Traurig and co-chairman Ed Wallace. The gala also marked the launch of the Alexis Page Gymnastics Scholarship Fund named after WHGF alumna and former instructor Alexis Page.