Hello dear friends and family! 

If you know me you know that running is something that’s both a passion and a lifeline for me. This past year has been difficult to say the least, and in addition to the wonderful people who have supported me, running has helped keep me sane in the wake of losing Brad. In January, a big group of us got to run the Carlsbad 5k, ½, and full marathon in California. It was a beautiful course and a wonderful time together commemorating Brad’s life; a good way to kick off 2020. 

In the coming year, I have a full race schedule and am so excited to be racing in the Chicago Marathon in October. It will be my 9th full marathon! I am running as a part of Team Rise International, an organization that builds schools for children in Angola. I chose to partner with and fundraise for Rise because I am passionate about education and helping people and because I believe in the goal of their organization: to educate children and subsequently empower communities to help rebuild their country. I also feel that this is an organization that Brad would’ve been excited about and that’s been motivating as I work to carry on some of the things we talked about doing together, and future plans we had to help in places of high need. 

I invite you to partner with me in furthering the pursuit of an education for all children! So far, Rise has built 188 schools and positively impacted the lives of 135,000 students. Providing education to even one child can bring hope to an entire community. The construction of schools provides jobs for laborers, wells installed at the school sites give clean water to children and families, and the opportunity to learn opens doors for students. Thank you for considering giving to Rise International and cheering me on this fall! 

Ivy

http://riseinternational.org/