Thanks to all who came out this morning! We raised more than $46,000 for kids in Africa. You can still donate to make it an even $50,000 ;)
Race results will be posted soon on the Nashville Striders site at www.nashvillestriders.com.
Thanks again and see you next year!
That’s okay! Ellie’s Run for Africa is more than a race. No, literally – it is!
We want to you to leave feeling like you’ve experienced a little bit of Africa. We have African dancers and drummers performing throughout the morning. We have African food (yum) and jewelry and education booths so that we can all learn more about what’s happening in the areas of Africa that we support! (Did I mention that we’ll have some amazing coffee freshly brewed for all of us that aren’t quite awake yet?) And if your kids need more than that to burn up some of that “beginning of summer” energy – we have a big, huge blowup slide that they can climb and slide down over and over again!
We can't wait to see you tomorrow morning - bright and early - RAIN OR SHINE!!
A little over a year ago, my wife and I decided to take part in a few 5K races as part of improving our overall fitness. Ellie's Run for Africa was one of the many races we put on the calendar. Of all the races, it still remains one of my favorite.
While training for last year's event, I had my first case of shin splints (ouch!) and was really worried that I would not to able to run the race. My wife, brother-in-law and aunt were all signed up to run the race as well. It was only the third 5K that I have run, with both of the previous being road-races in Nashville. ERFA is much more than just another charity 5K. Of all the events I have taken part in, this one stands out because of its carnival-like atmosphere. The music and games going on all around made it less about an endurance race through the hill course, and more about a fun day at the park. It is surreal to come around the second mile marker to hear the sound of African drums after a trek through the wooded trails of Percy Warner Park. Some runners will have their iPods tuned in to whatever mix they created for the race, but I prefer to just run to the sound of sneakers hitting the grass.
I finished the race with my best time of any 5K that I have run so far -- 41:01 according to an app on my phone. My brother-in-law destroyed the course with a sub-30 minute time. If you have not signed up for the event yet, give it a shot. I had an absolute blast last year.
For the last few months, I've gotten to know Chip - a regular customer whose drink order (a non-fat vanilla latte) is about as reliable as his presence Monday through Friday.
A few weeks ago, Chip and his wife asked me to help out with a charity they are involved in. I am always glad to hear about people in our neighborhood doing work for the good of our community, so I asked Chip to tell me more about it. I was intrigued to hear that this charity - Ellie's Run for Africa - was started by a young teen in Nashville who had the initiative to start her own charitable event.
As a teenager I put together a charitable event for children in Liberia, but Ellie’s Run was a much larger and more impressive effort. Ellie’s personal efforts remind me that we can all contribute in our own ways to make a positive difference. By placing a donation box at our front register, we can spread the word about this worthy cause and facilitate donations for customers who would like to contribute. We'll continue to collect donations for our customers up to the 31st of May and DrinkHaus will be MATCHING those donations, up to $200, as our contribution. Every bit helps, so next time you're in the Germantown neighborhood, stop in for an iced coffee or tea latte and leave a little extra for the kids in Africa!
Visit drinkhaus.com for more information.
Ellie's Run for Africa and Capitol Records Artist Emily West are making headlines for this week's Africa at the Pinnacle fundraiser. Check out the Tennessean's post over the weekend.
Will you be there? RSVP at our Facebook page or just come on out. Can't wait to see you!
What are you doing April 22 after work?
How about helping Ellie's Run for Africa and Capitol Records Artist Emily West raise a few bucks and kick off the ERFA 2010 season! For one night only, we're thrilled to welcome Ms. West for an evening of music, conversation and a little fundraising. Join us - 6pm, the Pinnacle at Symphony Place, downtown Nashville. Come ready to be a HERO - or just come and check it out. Suggested donation at the door is $20 and includes beverages, appetizers, entertainment and free parking. (21+ please)
See you there! And check out more here.
I am a current statistic in this economy, a contributing member of the 11% unemployment rate here in Tennessee. Yet, thinking about Kibera, Kenya, I am compelled to put things in perspective.
The unemployment rate in Kibera is around 50%. One out of every two individuals does not have a job. A good portion of them has received little to no education. Combine these two factors with violence and a shortage of resources to help people get on their feet, and there are quite a few hurdles to jump to make progress.
The good news is, progress is being made.
Ellie’s Run for Africa is playing an exciting role in overcoming these hurdles. I had the opportunity to go to Kenya last year and see where all the money
from the annual 5Ks goes. I met students at Calvary Christian School with uniforms, books, and enthusiasm. I cheered with high school students at New Dawn High School as they honored the teachers who instruct them in classrooms we helped build. I conversed with young men who were hopeful that technical training from Emmanuel Vocational School, a school ERFA helped build, would provide bright hope in contrast to their tragic histories.
I was invited to be a part of ERFA three years ago, and I haven’t looked back since. If you have not already been involved in Ellie’s Run for Africa, what’s stopping you? Our invitation is always open. We’re always looking for another person to jump the hurdles with us.
Last summer, when I had the opportunity to travel to Kibera with a group of Ellie’s Run for Africa volunteers, my friend Natalina and I were charged with the wonderful assignment of painting two murals to hang in classrooms for the pre-schoolers to enjoy. When we arrived at the school, which is on the same campus as the Emmanuel Vocational School, there were many high school kids wandering around. We learned that their school had been destroyed in the post-election violence, so they began meeting temporarily in the unused classrooms at the pre-school.
As we got out our brushes and paints, many of the students’ eyes grew wide with wonder. These students had never enjoyed an art class or studied painting- most had never held a paintbrush in their hands. As Natalina and I considered our options, we knew what we wanted to do. We asked the teachers of the high school students if we could teach them painting out in the grass and let them help us paint the murals. Soon two murals turned into four!
Thankfully, Natalina had brought a color wheel with her, and we were able to teach the kids about mixing colors, sketching, and even talk with them about imagination. As we listened to the kids, we realized they didn’t have the same opportunities we had in school to be creative and be celebrated for our imagination and originality in artwork. I was thrilled to share such a special experience with my new friends.
One of the most amazing students that we met during our painting adventure was Gloria. Her name says it all! She is a gifted arti
st. She quickly and comfortably picked up a paintbrush, and after watching us for only a minute, she mixed colors and added them in unexpected ways that were bright and energetic. She made the murals better than we could have originally imagined them. Her smile grew bigger as the paintings were completed. God gave Gloria a special artistic talent; it was obvious from the moment we put a brush in her hand!
I hope that Ellie’s Run helped her figure out a passion that she will enjoy pursuing for many years and that painting will bring her great joy in the future.
I think that it is very easy to get lost in the shuffle – that is, we all lead busy lives, filled with hurry and appointments and work and family and church and friends – the list goes on. Our days can easily turn from being great to sour with one bad phone call or a little traffic jam when we’re trying to get somewhere…which brings me to this: How lucky are we that we have a phone? Or, that we have a car to be stuck in traffic in??
For me, it’s so so so easy to forget that I live a life that most people in this world couldn’t even fathom – because I live a life of privilege. I have running water. I have parents who are healthy and who provided me with shelter, an education, love and toys. I never went without anything. I always had dinner on the table. I always had clothes and a bed in which to sleep.
For me, it’s embarrassing to admit that there are some very seemingly HUGE (ok, fine… really not huge) things that can make me lose hope in my God, and question faith in my Savior. Gosh, that feels so ugly to actually say.
I don’t know whether or not your situation is similar to mine or not. What I do know, is that I am NOT EXAGGERATING when I say that there are literally more than one million people that live in an area that is just over 1 square mile in Kenya. People that don’t always have dinner, that don’t have running water, who might not have parents that hug them when they come home from school – if they go to school. People who may have AIDS but don’t have medicine to help, who live in a house made from cardboard – or tin, if they’re lucky. People who can’t fathom the luxury of cars or electricity or clean water or a daily meal or clothes and shoes without holes that fit. But, in all of this, do you know what these people understand? They understand that they have hope.
They sing and pray and laugh and believe. Most of all, they hope.
Still need plans for this weekend's Valentine's festivities?
We want to invite you to the Fabulous Friends for Africa event on Saturday, Feburary 13, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. at the Franklin Factory.
The Fabulous Friends' story is pretty fun, so check it out!! Basically, this third annual event started when a group of friends turning 50 decided to transform their birthday party into a fundraiser for Africa. This year, all proceeds will benefit orphan care in Malawi and study bibles for African pastors.
See you there!!
