Rainbows 4 Children
R4C is an incredible foundation that is committed to making education available to children of disabled parents. In memory of Nicolas Robinson, son of the foundation's founder, The organization has built a facility for primary and Middle school Education in Mekele Ethiopia. R4C is currently raising funds to complete the construction of a high school facility, which is how I became involved!
I know first hand how important it is to have support, encouragement, and mentoring in order to succeed. Since I have been fortunate to have received all of these things along the way, which have made it possible for me to be where I am today-- working at Dow as a Financial Analyst, with a BS in mathematics, and an MBA in finance despite being blind—I wanted to help R4C continue to grow and thrive! So I committed to be a part of the Foundation's fundraising efforts through doing something I love; running!
To-date I have run in the 2010 Sola relay race in Zurich Switzerland, and in the Rainbows 4 Children 2010 fundraiser Run/Walk in Troy Michigan!
The Sola Run was a 100K relay race in Zurich Switzerland, and I was on a 14-person team. My leg was 11K long, and my husband John guided me.
The race was incredible. We were part of a mélange of runners from all parts of the country/Europe, of varying abilities. My leg wound its way along the country side, farms, on trails, on over and underpasses, climbing stairs and extremely steep hills! All of it was exciting, especially because it was a new course for us, and there were so many sounds, smells, and sites to pick up!
We loved every minute of the challenge, and ran with all of our heart! Our team came in the top 25% of all the teams, and raised funds for R4C in the process!
The Walk/Run event in Troy MI took place on June 5, 2010. The weather spirits were with us as the sun was shining brightly, and the temperatures were in the 70s+. As I was fighting a stomach virus, I completed 5 miles that morning, which was actually more than I thought I'd run that day. But I gave it all I had, and because I was running for a cause in which I truly believe, I dug down deep for energy reserves.
John and I ran together again, and then joined the other event participants for a nicely arranged BBQ, and a presentation by Magician and comedian Jean Anderson!
For more information about Rainbows 4 Children, please visit www.rainbows4children.org.