Ed Broadwell, HomeTrust Bank Board Chairman and CEO, (left) and Dana Stonestreet, HomeTrust Bank President, present a $25,000 check to Wilma Sherrill, UNC Asheville Special Assistant to the Chancellor for External Relations, to benefit the North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness

HomeTrust Bank took the court at halftime Wednesday night to present a $25,000 gift toward construction of UNC Asheville's North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness. The capacity crowd at the UNC Asheville-Highpoint men's basketball game responded with warm ovation that filled Justice Center.

"At HomeTrust Bank, we are committed to our employees by making good health a cornerstone of our organization. We also believe in supporting a healthy community and are pleased to present $25,000 to UNC Asheville for the new North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness," said Dana Stonestreet, HomeTrust Bank President and Chief Operating Officer. "Health and wellness are an important part of the future of Western North Carolina. We hope our donation will encourage additional contributions from businesses and interested individuals."

The North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness will be the hub for educating health and wellness professionals, conducting interdisciplinary research, building community and statewide partnerships, and incubating community programs around critical health and wellness issues. It will be located in the heart of UNC Asheville's campus, between Justice Center and Reuter Center, home to the N.C. Center for Creative Retirement. The 133,500-square-foot facility will house a dozen classrooms, research and teaching labs; strength training and aerobics rooms; offices, meeting rooms and seminar space; and a dance studio, wellness cafe and demonstration kitchen for use in nutrition courses.

UNC Asheville Athletics Director Janet Cone and Wilma Sherrill, UNC Asheville Special Assistant to the Chancellor for External Affairs, celebrate a win for the North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness

The facility will also include a multipurpose convocation center, the Kimmel Arena. The Kimmel Arena will have seating for 4,000 for commencement, health symposiums and national speakers, and seating for 3,400 for athletic events.

While construction of the North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness is funded in large part by a $35-million appropriation from the N.C. General Assembly, UNC Asheville is raising $7 million in private funds for the $42 million project.

The University plans to break ground on the project in spring 2008. The project architects are Bowers Ellis & Watson of Asheville, and HOK, an international firm that specializes in public assembly architecture.

HomeTrust Bank has provided long-time support to UNC Asheville for student opportunities in undergraduate research and for athletics. Located in Asheville, HomeTrust Bank is a mutually owned bank with an 81-year history of serving families and businesses in Western North Carolina.