On April 26, a team of six dedicated Opportunity International supporters ran the Leona Divide 50/50 Trail Race to raise funds and awareness for our clients in the Philippines. Their motivation was to provide help and hope to these clients, many of whom lost their homes, businesses, and tragically, even family members in Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013.

This group of runners - the Run4Poverty team - was made up of Opportunity International Governor Deyl Kearin, and supporters Vanessa Felts, Kasey Sander, Skye Sander, Abby Starr, and Gregg Starr. Each runner ran either 50 miles or 50 kilometers across trails in southern California. In total, they ran a combined 220 miles in one day.

This team decided to run for Opportunity clients in the Philippines because they knew that, although first-response disaster relief was critical, long-term sustainable support from Opportunity is also essential. Thousands of clients are rebuilding from scratch, and gifts to the Run4Poverty fundraiser will give survivors the continuing support they need to reconstruct their homes, restart their businesses and restore their livelihoods.

Thank you, Run4Poverty team, for changing lives with us!

The six Run4Poverty runners live in Santa Barbara, California. Their Run4Poverty movement combines their goal of taking on physical and mental challenges with a desire to change the world. You can find out more and support their effort by visiting opportunity.org/run4poverty