[dropcap] J [/dropcap] uly 28, 2014, researchers reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that “People who jogged or ran for as little as five minutes a day reduced their risk of premature death by nearly one-third and extended their lives by about three years.” The news made me excited! I’m not a runner, but I am willing to start a new habit if the benefits of running are so profound.
Running seems to be an excellent way to live long and help raise money.
Have you heard about Black Girls RUN? They are teaming up to help the world renown St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® to raise money through their third annual “Sweat With Your Sole” Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sept. 4-7, 2
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer, sickle cell and other deadly diseases.
“We are excited to bring our signature Sweat With Your Sole Festival and healthy lifestyle event back to Atlanta while helping to support the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Toni Carey, co-founder of Black Girls RUN!. “This is the ultimate girlfriend’s fitness weekend and we look forward to providing a great experience as we continue our mission, encouraging African-American women to make fitness and healthy living a priority.”
September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Which makes it an ideal time to help raise awareness and money for the hospital. Funds generated through events like the Sweat with Your Sole Festival, help families like those of St. Jude patient Naudia so they never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food. In high school, Naudia was a sprinter on the track team and she seemingly did it all, including the triple, high, long jumps and hurdles. In late 2013, the simple act of walking became painful for Naudia and a pelvis scan later revealed a tumor. Within days, Naudia was at St. Jude, where the tumor was identified as a sarcoma. Naudia’s treatment includes chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Thanks to the generosity of people like Black Girls Run! members and supporters, Naudia’s family can focus on what matters most – helping their child live.
The jam-packed weekend will kick off with a two-day conference starting on Thursday, Sept. 4. The conference will include interactive workshops with nationally recognized trainers and fitness instructors and speakers, and a vast amount of knowledge-sharing on running, health and nutrition. On Sunday, Sept. 7, the weekend will conclude with a 5K and 15K run/walk beginning and ending at Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta.
Black Girls RUN! recently announced a national partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and encouraged its members to run for a reason by joining the Black Girls RUN! St. Jude Heroes team. St. Jude Heroes are a special group who run with generous hearts to help generate awareness and raise funds so St. Jude can continue fighting the most aggressive childhood cancers and diseases.
Join the national Black Girls RUN!
St. Jude Heroes team at one of the races below or visit the national team page, fundraising.stjude.org/bgr, to find your next event:
- Bank of America Chicago Marathon® on Oct. 12
- Savannah Rock ‘n’ Roll on Nov. 8
- St. Jude Memphis Marathon® Weekend on Dec. 6
Add years to your life and join the fun!
Members also are encouraged to use their Black Girls RUN! discount for Rock n’ Roll races. Visit blackgirlsrun.com/national-eventsfor more information.
The Sweat With Your Sole conference is open to Black Girls RUN! members and women who are interested in attending. Men and women are invited to attend the dinner and participate in the road race.
Sponsors include UnitedHealthcare (presenting sponsor), REI, Dark and Lovely, Publix and V-103 “The People’s Station. Last year, in Charlotte, Black Girls RUN! partnered with UnitedHealthcare and a host of other sponsors to bring more than 3,500 men and women to the area. In its inaugural year in 2012, Black Girls RUN! partnered with AARP, and presenting sponsor Coca-Cola to host its inaugural Black Girls RUN! and AARP Drive to End Hunger 5K/10K race, raising $22,000 to benefit AARP and Hosea Feed the Hungry.
For all Sweat With Your Sole conference and race updates, visit sweatwithyoursole.com and follow Black Girls RUN! on Twitter at@BlackGirlsRUN and Instagram @officialblackgirlsrun using hashtag #SWYS14.
About Black Girls RUN!®
Black Girls RUN! is a national running group launched in 2009 by Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks. The organization has grown to include more than 69 running groups across the nation with more than 139,659 members. The group was created to combat the obesity epidemic among women in the African-American community and dispel the myth that black women do not run. The groups include beginner and experienced runners and provide a support system to help members reach their fitness goals. Black Girls RUN! provides a community and inspires all women to run. For more information about Black Girls RUN!, visit BlackGirlsRUN.com.About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other deadly diseases. St. Jude has the world’s best survival rates for the most aggressive childhood cancers, and treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since we opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent in the next decade. St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs we make, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org or following St. Jude on facebook.com/stjude and twitter.com/stjude.
References
The information in this post is adapted from the July 22, 2014 press release sent out by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (2014, July 22). Black Girls RUN! names St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® official charity partner of the Sweat With Your Sole Festival 5K/15K presented by UnitedHealthcare® [Press release].