Orphan Run Mississippi in Photos & Captions

Orphan Run Mississippi 5K and Fun Run

Hernando, Mississippi

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Race day preparation beginning before the break of dawn.

Registration table -- part of a large army of volunteers doing an outstanding job!

Nice walk-up crowd on a cool, beautiful morning

Michael Satcher -- orphan care champion, virtual runner, T-shirt model

233 runners plus about 100 others milling about before the race.  Other encouragers at different spots along the route.

Running for orphans and remembering others.

And . . . they're off!

The real winners on this day: Some of the world's 147+ million orphans

Amanda & Amy -- orphan care champions from Cordova

The Johnsons -- orphan care champions from Senatobia

Part of Team Colonial Hills -- 9 medal winners from CHC!

That's my boy! 2nd place in his age group!

Fitting finish to the day: EmilyFaith accepting a framed photo of one of the children's homes like this race will help fund.  Handprints of some of the actual orphans in Mabaale, Uganda, who will have a place to live because of her efforts.

On behalf of the orphans in Uganda, thank you to everyone who showed up Saturday to live out James 1:27 on a beautiful Hernando morning . . . and had a blast in the process!

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Postscript:  I blogged a couple of weeks ago about my running goal for the race, a new personal best.  Alas, that did not happen Saturday.  Maybe next year.  I did, however, finish third in my age group (out of I-don't-know-or-care-how many) for my first 5K medal!

Previous Orphan Run Mississippi Posts:

"And Suddenly...Orphan Run MS"
"Prepping to Run for Orphans"
"Orphan Run Mississippi: A Personal Best, Half a House, and You"
"Orphan Run Mississippi: The Essentials"

Orphan Run Mississippi: A Personal Best, Half a House, and YOU

Received my staff  T-Shirt for the Orphan Run MS 5K this week -- must be close to race day!

Orphan Run Mississippi 5K (and 1-mile fun run): 11 DAYS AWAY!!!

My goal for the Orphan Run Mississippi, from a running standpoint, is something better than 26:58, my personal best 5K time.  In light of that goal, I had been running at least twice a week, building up my stamina until I could push hard toward my goal.  

 

A sinus infection, a week in Haiti, and a week catching up on work and rest after the trip began to look strangely like 3 weeks without a run.  So last Friday, I decided it was past time to run to Orphan Run MS 5K course, a new course for Hernando, for the first time.  Though there were a couple of difficult spots on the course, I was only 32 seconds away from a personal-best time.  (As I should have expected, my body let me know over the next few days that it did not in the least appreciate the hiatus from nor the sudden re-entry into the running world.)

But more importantly . . .

 

From a much more important standpoint, I asked race director EmilyFaith Abbott for an update on the progress of the race preparation from a participation and funding standpoint.  Here are the current numbers:

The "why" behind the "what"

    

Race Participants

Closing in on 200 runners.  I have talked to several people who have great intentions of participating in the run . . . if it's not too late.  It's not too late!  Click on the race flyer below to sign up.

Funds Raised

Just over $12,000 so far.  The cost of a new children's home in Uganda costs about $25,000.  Who builds half a house?  Please use you influence to get others involved, and together let's get at least one home for orphaned children built!

Biggest Need

Participants!!!  More runners, more volunteers, more people to get the word out about the run over the next 10 days.  4theVoiceless will be handling runner registration and packet distribution; we will also have a table where we will sell cookbooks and jewelry to raise funds for our orphan care projects.  You can sign up to volunteer with us here.

More On Orphan Run Mississippi

Previous blog posts about the run:
And Suddenly . . . Orphan Run MS
Prepping to Run for Orphans

Orphan Run MS on Facebook
Orphan Run MS on Twitter

Uganda Facts

Population: 23,000,000

Life expectancy:  42 years (1 in 12 Ugandans is an orphan)

Income:  44% make less than 60,000 shillings ($34.00) per month

Geography:  Landlocked nation of 91,000 square miles (about the size of lower Michigan)

Neighbors:

North - Sudan

East - Kenya

South - Tanzania, Rwanda

West - Congo

Language:  English is the official language with a significant number of native Swahili dialects spoken

Religion:  Protestants 33%, Roman Catholic 33%, Indigenous 19%, Muslim 15%

 

Click above to sign up for the run, to make a donation, and/or to pass on the information to a friend.

Thanks for reading.  See you on race day . . .

4theVoiceless,
Al

 

Last-Minute Updates Before Haiti

4theVoiceless in Haiti

One more day before our team leaves for Haiti.  We packed the crates at CHC Southaven Wednesday night.  I'm sure everyone else on the team, like me, will be trying to remember last-minute items that we don't want to forget.  Just a couple of items here on the blog before we leave:

As I did on the last Haiti trip in 2012, I will be journaling while we are there and putting those thoughts on the blog when we return.  For brief updates while we are in Haiti, you can follow me on Twitter (@alainsworth).  That's about the extent of access to the internet that I expect while we are there.

Orphan Run Mississippi 5K & Fun Run

Also, I wanted to encourage you to sign up for the Orphan Run MS 5K (or fun run) if you have not already done so.  My family is all signed up and ready to go (well, at least all signed up!).  Sign up in the next week to assure yourself a T-shirt.  (That's not so that you can have another T-shirt but more that you can help raise awareness to the needs of orphans in Uganda and elsewhere!)

Better yet, if you are in a position to sponsor the race (your business, your church, or your family), please contact race director EmilyFaith Abbott for more information.

Please pray for our team.  I look forward to updating you when we return.

The blog has gone over 6,000 page views since coming online in May of 2012!  As always, thanks for reading. 

4theVoiceless,
Al

Orphan Run MS: Gaining Momentum

Over the last few weeks, I have introduced you to Orphan Run Mississippi.  I wrote about how 4theVoiceless got involved with this event and how 15-year-old EmilyFaith Abbott has been working tirelessly to promote it. 

EmilyFaith speaking to DeSoto Central Middle School's Fellowship of Christian Students this week

Great orphan care discussion in Ms. Clayton's class at DCMS.

The calendar has rolled over into March (Mid-South forecast for snow notwithstanding), and it is time for action.  Even though the Orphan Run MS 5K (and accompanying one-mile fun run) is still 7 weeks away, the next couple of weeks are critical for race preparation.  Now is the time to line up volunteers and order pre-race supplies.

That is why I am calling on each of you readers to do four things:

1. Sign up for the race here.  Whether you are a runner or not doesn't matter.  As EmilyFaith says: walk, run, or skip it.  Just be there, wear the T-shirt to promote the cause, and be a part of this great cause.  Ultimately, orphaned Ugandan children without a home will have one; it doesn't matter where you finish in the race that really matters.
2. Remind everyone you know who already knows about the race to sign up now.
3. Continue to promote awareness of Orphan Run Mississippi.  That can be as simple as a couple of mouse clicks to share this post.
4. Ask businesses in the Mid-South if they are involved with this race.  Tell your favorite businesses -- as I have -- that you sure hope they are sponsoring and promoting it.  If you need a corporate packet, please let me know, and I will get you one.

Thank you for leveraging your influence for the benefit of this cause.  It will just remain a good idea without you and others like you making it happen.  I look forward to updating you about great progress in the weeks to come.  Engage.  Do your part!

Thanks for reading and responding.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Prepping to Run for Orphans

EmilyFaith speaking to Southaven Middle School FCS

I introduced you to Orphan Run Mississippi a couple of weeks ago.  This 5K run/1-mile fun run will take place on April 20 at Longview Pointe Baptist Church in Hernando and will assist in the building of homes and a hospital for orphans in Uganda.  A similar run in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last year netted over $150,000 and resulted in six new homes for orphans who, for the most part, were sleeping in the bush during all types of weather.

EmilyFaith Abbott, the race director of Orphan Run MS, has spoken to numerous groups in the last few weeks.  She has stood before church Disciple Now events, school clubs, and more than 30 local businesses.  I joined her as she spoke to students at Southaven Middle School this morning.  

And she turned 15 earlier this week...happy birthday, EmilyFaith!

Make plans to be a part of this run.  You can sign up here for as little as $11.24.  Several people that I know are making this a family event; what a great way to expose your kids (and perhaps yourself) to a world and a way of life they may not even realize exists...and have a great time in the process!  Early sign-ups are very beneficial in paying some of the up front expenses of the race.

One of the cool aspects of Orphan Run MS is that a bus is coming from Tulsa (EmilyFaith's hometown and home to the first Orphan Run) to bring some Oklahomans to run with us.  Mid-Southerners, let's greet them en masse with our running community and run together for a great cause!

Keep up with Orphan Run MS via Twitter, Facebook, and through their web site.

Thanks for reading and getting involved in moving toward the voiceless -- Proverbs 31:8, James 1:27.

4theVoiceless,
Al