Super Seniors of Murietta Valley High School

I would like to say a special thanks to Mrs. Saylor and her senior class at Murrieta Valley High School for a very generous donation to the Road to Change project. This is a great group of young people who are making a very positive difference in the lives of those who are not be able to help themselves. Below is an e-mail I had received from Peter Chasse with The Water Project, who had received it directly from one of their students:

Hello my name is Alex and I am a senior at Murrieta Valley High School. My English teacher Mrs. Saylor has developed an amazing project for her senior classes every year. It's a philanthropy challenge to benefit people in third world countries. Students get into groups and pick a non-profit organization. My group picked The Water Project, which raises money to build wells in needy countries. We are choosing to donate our proceeds to a project in Kalimani, Kenya in Africa. They must walk over 6 miles to a dirty stream in order to get water everyday. By building a deep well there, the community can thrive and get the clean water they so desperately need. It will affect over 4,000 in the town and save many lives by eliminating the diseases associated with unclean drinking water. In order to raise money, my group has chosen a variety of different avenues. Today I went to classrooms and collected donations from kids and teachers. Most we re only a few cents or a few dollars but we managed to raise over $153 in one day. We are also going to be selling pizza and juice it up during yearbook distribution in a few weeks to raise even more money. I have great optimism in our school and it shows how one person can make a difference when we all come together. My teacher is a huge fan of Oprah and Brad Pitt, so everyday in class since our project began, we watch videos of certain episodes like the Big Give and The Girls Academy. We also watched a video of an interview with Brad Pitt about his efforts to raise money and awareness in Africa. It has inspired our class to be better and live for others, not just ourselves. I want my teacher to get the recognition she deserves for having such an amazing and big heart. I will be sending pictures and updates on our progress. Thank you.

Thank you for the kind and generous support.

Water scarcity now bigger threat than financial crisis

A recent article in the UK Independent discusses how 'Water scarcity 'now bigger threat than financial crisis' . Something we take for granted every day is a precious, lifesaving resource to others.

At last weekend's Little Rock marathon, I heard that some of the Kenyan runners who race here, will send their winnings home, where their families can live on approx. $1000 per year. This illustrates how far your donation of $10, about the cost of a movie ticket, can go to save lives.

I would like to thank those members of Team UA Run who have so kindly donated to the Road to Change project! Thanks to your generosity, we are that much closer to the finish line of providing clean water for the people of Kalimani.

Enjoy this Spring weather!

Why Runners Usually Make Great Employees

Not too partial being a runner but I thought this was a very good article by Oliver Blanchard on Why Runners Usually Make Great Employees.

Team UA Run, Little Rock and Twitter

As part of my training, I am pacing for marathons this spring. Under Armour is a sponsor of the pace team for St. Louis, as part of Team UA Run. This has given me the opportunity to try some fantastic new UA running gear. Under Armour has some terrific pants and tops for running in the cold weather we have had. My next marathon is the Little Rock marathon March 15th.

I am on Twitter now and would love to hear from other ultra-runners on their training tips as well as supporters of the Road to Change project.

Thanks for everyone's continued support for the project to provide water to the people of Kalimani. I know that the economy has been rocky lately but a donation of just $10 will provide clean water help save lives. I and I know the people of Kalimani appreciate your support.

"One who gives water will get water." Proverbs 11:25 (NRSV)

Spreading the Word and Valentine's Day Idea

Thanks to some very kind friends in Ohio, we were able to spread the word about our project through a radio interview with Les Sekely and Colleen O'Neill with WEOL 930 AM. You can listen to the interview by clicking here.

The Arkansas Traveler 100 dates are set for October 3rd-4th, which means 254 training days from today. I have several marathons planned before then including New Orleans Mardi Gras, Feb. 1st, Little Rock, March 15th, Go! St. Louis, April 19th, and Cleveland, May 17th.

Valentine's Day is approaching. Every year people look for a nice way to tell someone how much they mean to them. Roses cost over $100 a dozen and a nice box of chocolates can cost $25-$40. Roses wilt in a week and chocolates can add a few unhealthy pounds. Consider a donation of $10 to the Road to Change project in honor of your loved one. $10 will buy water for someone in Kalimani for life. I can think of no better way to share your love than to save a life in honor of someone. You could send a poem like:

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I'm providing clean water,
In honor of you.
For you I am thankful,
That is always true.
Now a life will be saved
With clean water from you.

Thanks for all of your support.

Almost There!

Thanks to the tremendous generosity of everyone who has pledged and donated, we currently stand at $3,486.50 raised to-date. We are just $1,513.50 away from completing our goal.

To give you some perspective, the National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend, even in the current economy, $470.4 billion for holiday shopping. Mere days after the holidays, many of the gifts purchased and exchanged will be gone. We are just $1,513.50 from providing a gift of life through clean water to the 4,000 people of Kalimani. That is a difference of just $0.38 for each person that will allow them to live healthier lives and have their children attend school rather than transport water.

Please consider, as part of your holiday gift giving, a donation to this project. You will feel good knowing that you are helping to save a life. It would be a real blessing to complete this by Christmas. Thank you.

My training is going well. I completed the Memphis marathon twice last Saturday for a total of 52.4 miles. I still have a lot of respect for the 100-mile run.

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24)"

Fundraising Update and Holiday Gift Idea

I recently received word from the president of the Water Project that the well for Kalimani is actually going to cost approx. $35,000 due to the depth they will need to drill and the inflation rate due to the world economic market crisis. The very good news though is that Chairity:Water (see CharityWater.org) in NYC has agreed to match the money we have and will be raising to meet these additional costs. And, in fact, they will be able to front whatever we need so that construction can begin in the next few months which is terrific news. Thank you for helping make this possible.

With the upcoming holiday season, if you are looking for a special gift and easy way to honor a family member, friend, co-worker or teacher, consider making a donation to the Road to Change project in their honor. You and the honoree will know that your donation is going to provide clean water to literally save people's lives. I can think of no greater gift.

"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving."-- Mother Teresa