What This Page Is For

I am using the first post of this blog to explain why I have this blog and what I will be using it for in the next year.

Starting on June 1, 2010 I will set out on a year long adventure of running 1,004 miles to raise money for Peak 4 Poverty. 1,004 miles in 365 days is roughly 3 miles a day. Some days I'll do more, other days less, but I will complete 1,004 miles before June 1, 2011.

A few months ago I discovered the non-profit organization on twitter, well, actually they discovered me. I had tweeted about wanting to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, and @peak4poverty responded about how it had been a tough climb, but was worth it to get to the top for a great cause. After that I checked out the P4P website and blog. I was deeply touched by the work they are doing for the AIDS orphans in Tanzania.

Looking through the pictures of these children brought tears to my eyes. I cannot look at these beautiful little faces, and do nothing to help make their lives better. You see, I'm a mom of a happy, healthy 2 year old. She is very lucky to have been born with two loving parents in a place where she has every opportunity to lead a long, healthy life and will have many options to lead a productive life. These children are not so lucky. I know my daughter is young, but I want to start teaching her the value of helping others. I want her to be kind and giving to others that may not be as lucky as her. I began to rack my brain for ideas on how I can show and not tell her, all while helping these children. This is how I came up with my 1,004 mile plan. With the help of Nabeel Meghji, a co-founder of p4p that I have been in touch with, this blog was set up and my idea came to life.

I have a week before it starts, and I am so pumped! June 1st I will be running 4.4 miles to kick it off. I will be using this blog to track my daily mileage to keep myself on track and make sure to reach my goal. I'm hoping that by running this distance, I will be inspiring others to help as well. I am asking anyone that is touched by this cause and what Peak 4 Poverty is doing for these children, if they can please donate! These children need so much, yet they have so little. One small donation from you can raise their quality of life and get them on track to a healthy, productive life.

Thank you for taking the time to read my first post. I hope that you continue your interest in my project, stay up to date on future posts and my mileage, and more importantly are inspired to help these children.

Stay tuned for a video I will be posting this weekend before the start of my year-long run.
-Jenna

P.S. I'd like to thank those who helped build this blog. The heading is AMAZING! I love everything about it. If it weren't for you, this blog would be quite simple and boring. Thank you so much for your time and effort!