Abbotsford News Wednesday, May 28, 2014
RUN FOR WATER START
ENVISION FINANCIAL RUN FOR WATER
expeditionist Ray Zahab. The Run For Water Ultra group collectively raised more than $30,000 in funds for clean water projects and covered a gruelling 53km course in a team – based run for the cause on Saturday.
AN AMAZING $1.1 MILLION RAISED IN THE FIRST SEVEN YEARS
It is hard not to be grateful for over 400 volunteers who freely gave of their time to direct runners, hand out food and medals, provide medical attention where needed, scoop ice cream and hand out coffee, among many other duties.
Sponsors, teachers, students, runners all play a role in pushing fundraising into the seven figure territory for local event By Ken Baerg “Gratitude” is the word that comes to mind when I reflect upon the amazing success of this year’s Envision Financial Run for Water. As a member of the Run for Water Society, the non-profit, volunteer group that plans and executes a series of programs and events culminating in this last weekend’s run, I have come to realize what a privilege it is to play a small role in making a difference in our community and in our world. There is gratitude for the abundance we enjoy in our City; there is gratitude for our physical bodies and being able to express ourselves through physical exertion; and there is gratitude for people – for the sharing of their presence and their resources. Some of these can be fleshed out a little further… It is hard not to be grateful for over four thousand, two hundred participants from around the province and country who targeted the 2014 Envision Financial Run For Water as their event of choice. And for most, it’s not just another run on the calendar. People tell us they come to participate because it is one of the best-executed events around with a cause that inspires. It is hard not to be grateful for the team of 16 ultra-marathon runners, including ultra-
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It is hard not to be grateful for our incredible group of sponsors – too vast to name here – who lend time, expertise and funds to make this event what it is. It is hard not to be grateful for my Run For Water colleagues – staff and board member who dedicate thousands of hours of time each year to draw in sponsor partners, strategically market the event, encourage people to fundraise, and to inspire thousands of kids to become sensitive and compassionate global citizens. For all of us, it is a unique, one-of-a-kind opportunity. Finally, it is hard not to be grateful for the privileged lives we lead in this city and in this country, where access to water doesn’t dominate our existence, like it does for nearly one billion people on our planet. In time wouldn’t it be amazing if our efforts were no longer necessary? Wouldn’t it be great to learn that the imbalances that exist in our world had been remedied and that the issues surrounding access to clean water had been alleviated? Until then, the efforts to bring clean water to those in need must continue. This year, the generosity of everyone involved lead to a sum of over $250,000 being earmarked for clean water projects in southern Ethiopia – more than $1.1 million in seven years – funds that change lives. The initiative to provide clean water to people in need is a movement! In 2015, we hope you plan to “run with it”!
MARATHON = 244 / HALF MARATHON = 552 / 10K = 1053 / 5K = 2316 / TOTAL = 4165
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