Welcome to Give Running!
Welcome to the official website of Give Running! I am still in awe
that my small holiday project to donate 100 pairs of shoes has snowballed
into a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization active on both the East and West
coasts,
helping underprivileged children from inner-city Los Angeles to Mexico
to the Haiti to Uganda, Kenya, Mali, and Liberia in
Africa.
A brief history of how the Ventura, California snowflake became an
international snowball:
I
have been a competitive track and cross country runner since elementary
school, even competing in numerous youth national championships; but,
five years ago as a freshman in high school, I suffered a stress
fracture in my hip and couldn’t run for several long months. Then I missed
most of my sophomore year because of knee injuries.
While
at the time I could not have been more devastated by my injuries, today
I consider them true blessings. Being unable to run made me realize
how much I truly love the sport of running and all that it has given me
-- such as self-esteem, confidence, and friendships. In other words,
while running is hard,
not running is harder.
While
I knew I would eventually get healthy and be able to run and race
again, I also knew simply running and racing again, simply returning to
where I left off, was in itself not enough. I had to make something of my
rekindled passion for running and the lessons I had learned.
My parents, and especially my older sister Dallas, have always taught me
that the best, most effective way to overcome personal adversity is to
help others. For helping others with their problems brings us joy and
helps to put our own problems in proper perspective. In this light,
while I was injured and unable to run, I started thinking about
underprivileged kids who couldn’t enjoy this great sport -- not because
of injury, but simply because they couldn’t afford running shoes.
Instead
of feeling sorry for myself, I have made an effort to turn adversity into opportunity by creating Give Running, a non-profit
organization that donates used (but still in good condition) running
shoes to underprivileged youth.
My initial goal was to collect
and clean 100 pairs of running shoes by Christmas 2006. By
getting the word out and by placing collection boxes at local schools,
gyms and running stores, however, I was able to personally collect,
wash, and send (with the shipping help of Sports Gift, Inc. in San
Diego) more than 500 pairs of cleaned-up running shoes to Sudan, Uganda and Kenya in
Africa.
The feedback from youths in Africa has been especially moving for me --
not only were these the first
running shoes any of them had
owned, they were the first
shoes
many of them had ever had. Along with Give Running's unexpected impact
halfway around the world, the great joy I felt upon helping others --
as well as the great joy others felt upon donating their shoes and time
-- inspired me to turn my holiday project into a year-round endeavor.
Since the winter of 2006, Give Running has continued to grow,
inspiring and bringing joy to givers and receivers alike.
Indeed,
my sister's lesson has proven true in my experience: helping others
overcome their problems has brought me joy and perspective. Joy in
hearing from orphanages in Africa that the lives of many kids have been
turned from violence and drugs towards school and family simply by
reminding them, through a pair of shoes, that they are loved.
Perspective in smiling when I look back on my injuries, and seeing how
my hip and my knees led to the snowflake and the snowball. And, as far
as Give Running has come so far -- as much as it has snowballed already -- I
am even more excited for its future.
That is, in part, where
this website comes in: another step forward from the single snowflake
to the larger snowscape. One snowflake, one shoe at a time, we are
working to help those in need and foster joy in the hearts of all. I
look forward to your help.
Best always,
Greg
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