Tim and Nancy's Fundraising Page
Hello friends and family,
Thank you for visiting our Run for RISE fundraising page. Tim is running the 2010 Chicago Marathon as part of Team Rise again this year, and Nancy is running her FIRST Half-Marathon as a member of Team RISE. We are running to raise funds for RISE International and the children of Angola.
In May of 2000 we spent two weeks in a refugee camp for Angolan refugees in Namibia. We met an industrious and inspiring people who had suffered greatly but still had incredible hope for the future. We didn't know then that those two weeks would forever change us. From that initial experience and under the leadership of our friends, the Coles, RISE International was founded.
The mission of RISE is to build elementary schools in rural areas of Angola, Africa where 27 years of civil strife has destroyed the infrastructure of the country. Currently 4 million children do not have a school to attend. To seek to alleviate this need, to date RISE has built over 128 schools serving over 55,000 Angolan children.
This Run for RISE offers an opportunity for all of us to change the lives of some of those Angolan children who do not have a school to attend. Our team of 90 RISE Runners has set a goal to raise $210,000 in order to build three new schools in Angola. This doesn’t solve all Angola’s problems, but it will make a difference for these children.
We have made several trips to Africa since our first visit in 2000, and recently spent 2 1/2 weeks in Angola in April of this year. We saw the 2009 Team RISE schools. One was completed with 500 students in school, and the other was under construction and will benefit 800 children. Click on the YouTube link to see more about the marathon schools we saw on our trip. This year we want to build three schools. Would you help make those schools a realty and impact 2100 children who do not have a school? We know the difference education has made in our lives and our children's lives, and are convinced that it will bring hope and a future for the children we reach in Angola.
Our collective goal is to raise $30,000 for this cause; with your help, we are confident we can do that and more.
Are you ready to join Team RISE? Take action now - make a donation, watch the video shown at left, or visit RISE International to learn more about the needs in Angola and how RISE is helping (www.riseinternational.org). Do something to be a part of this opportunity. And please forward this on to others who MAY want to give and become part of the RISE team.
Thank you in advance for your support!
Tim and Nancy