The NC Music Factory 5K Rock 'N Run was founded from within a fragile community called Lockwood (comprised of Plymouth Avenue, Sylvania Avenue and Keswick Avenue). In the late 90's, the Lockwood community was on the edge of gentrification, overwhelmed by drugs and prostitution. The hope and determination of a few community members fueled their ability to believe in the model that "we could change,
we could make a difference". Within five years, those committed community members were able to turn the once fragile Lockwood Community into a transitional community as labeled by the city. This accomplishment to the community member's commitment of renewing the community's faith-building stakeholders between neighbors and developing solid collaborations with external resources. The commitment to change did not end there, it had just begun. Next, a thought arose, "If we could change how people viewed our neighborhood, we could change how people looked at our corridor". At the time, the leaders of Lockwood community knew that with their limited local resources, they would not be able to make the event a success, so they set out to find a partner to make the event a reality. The Lockwood and surrounding community resources quickly began to assemble and strategize the concepts of "The Rock 'N Run". The collaboration of the communities provided the energy needed to make the difference to bring life to the Rock 'N Run. The collaboration provided the community the ability to make the Rock 'N Run idea a reality! The Rock 'N Run now had life! The mission was energized and a committee was formed.