Channel 2 presents The Parade of Excellence

ATLANTA — Channel 2's Fred Blankenship and Linda Stouffer host this year's Parade of Excellence, a partnership with 100 Black Men of Atlanta Inc. The annual march down Peachtree Street celebrates academic achievement in Georgia schools. The parade kicks off on Saturday, October 5th at 10 a.m. from the intersection of Peachtree and Baker streets. Viewers can watch it live on Channel 2 WSB TV and wsbtv.com.

The Parade of Excellence honors special achievements by some of the best and brightest middle and high school students in Georgia. Many of these students participate in the 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc.’s  Project Success, a magnet of education programs dedicated to providing mentors and post-secondary tuition assistance to young people. Since 2009, Project Success has achieved a 100% high school graduation rate for its scholars.

This year’s parade features exciting dance groups and marching bands from all over the southeast. The Georgia high school marching bands scheduled to perform include:

• Grady High School
• Riverdale High School
• North Atlanta High School
• South Atlanta High School
• Southwest High School
• Forest Park High School
• Stone Mountain High School
• Carver High School

The parade is part of a weeklong celebration of excellence in Atlanta. It culminates with the Atlanta Football Classic, the largest fundraising event for the 100 Black Men of Atlanta Inc. Now in its 25th year, the Atlanta Football Classic for 2013 pits North Carolina A&T State University against South Carolina State University.

WHAT:          The Parade of Excellence

WHO:             Channel 2’s Linda Stouffer and Fred Blankenship

WHEN:          October 5, 2013 at 10 a.m.

WHERE:       LIVE on Channel 2 WSB-TV and wsbtv.com

About Channel 2 WSB-TV The ABC Affiliate is part of Cox Media Group and ranks as Atlanta's number one local television station. The station also operates its website, wsbtv.com, its mobile site, wap.wsbtv.com, and airs MeTV on its digital channel 2.2.

About Cox Media Group
Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of CoxReps.  Additionally, CMG owns Cox Target Media, which operates Valpak, one of North America's leading direct marketing companies, and Savings.com, a leading online source for savings.  The company's operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 57 radio stations, eight daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services.  CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 30 million TV viewers, more than 4 million print and online newspaper readers, and 14 million radio listeners.  For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.

About 100 Black Men of Atlanta Inc.:
The mission of 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc. is to provide support and improve the quality of life for African Americans, particularly African American youth in the Atlanta community. The 100 is one of the city's strongest African American volunteer organizations focused on education, enrichment and empowerment. The organization's community work is performed through its flagship program, Project Success, a mentoring and academic support initiative with the following components: The 100 Academy (Saturday School), Mentoring, 100 Resource Learning Center (100 RLC), Collegiate 100, The B.E.S.T. Academy at Benjamin S. Carson, Project Success Robotics Alliance, Family & Youth Empowerment Programs and Health & Wellness Initiatives. To learn more about Project Success, to volunteer, become a sponsor or make a donation visit www.100blackmen-atlanta.org.

WSBTV