That Was a Blast!

Our first ever Run 4 Gambella 5K Fun Run and 1-Mile Pet Walk was a blast!  There were dozens of runners and walkers that showed up, and the weather even cooperated with us.

It was so fun seeing so many runners completing their first 5K ever!  We had kids decorating t-shirts, and true to our word, we did not time the run (much to the disappointment of the high school boy who was the first to finish)!

Through donations made by the run and walk participants, we raised $1,220 for the people of Gambella.  This brings our total donations made this spring to $3,755 (including some checks that are not reflected in the ChipIn widget on the site)!  We continue to be humbled by the support of the community—thank you!

Come Change the World

Have you ever wished you could change the world?  Have you ever wondered if the money you give to different charities actually makes a difference?  Here’s a fun and easy way for you to truly be a world changer!

Come join us for our first ever “No Frills” 5K Fun Run and 1-Mile Pet Walk this Saturday, May 21, at 9am in Cornish Park in Algonquin.  Every dollar that is donated for this event is going straight to the village of Gambella, in Kenya, Africa. 

Gambella is a village that literally had no hope just a few short years ago.  The villagers had no clean water, no means to educate their children, they lived on about $.50 a day, and they have been the subject of violent attacks.  After just a few years of their partnership with Global Hope Network International (GHNI), and a small handful of partners like our neighborhood, their village has been transformed!  In fact, the change in the village has been so dramatic, that the United Nations, the Kenyan Government, and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been out to visit our village of Gambella, to find out what has given them so much hope.

The money that we are raising will be used to purchase more goats, to replace the animals that were stolen in an attack on the village almost two years ago.  The nutrition provided through the milk of goats, is crucial to the people in Gambella.  In February, we were able to provide 38 goats to the village, but we’d like to give more.  In addition, we will be creating a pool of money that the villagers will have access to in order to start income-generating businesses, like this tea shop that was opened about a year ago.

Join us on Saturday, and have some fun while you change the world!  Learn more and register on our run page.