Congratulations to Team Home for Our Troops! This past Monday a dedicated team of 25 people ran the Boston Marathon in support of this charity. The team was made up of active and retired military members as well as a few civilians.

The program is different from other charity teams in that members come from all over the USA and beyond, paying their own way to get to Boston to run the marathon in addition to all the money they raise. It’s a lot of work training for a marthon plus doing all of the fundraising, and this team excelled at both. Together the group raised over $87,000 to provide specially adapted homes for our most severely injured troops.

You can hear about their marathon experience and see finish line photos on the Team Homes for Our Troops website.

Last Saturday, January 19th, concerned citizens hit the streets of Athens, Ohio in the Good Works Sixth Annual Walk for the Homeless.  The event raised $32,000 for Timothy House, a homeless shelter in the area.

There were three different routes to choose from, one for children and two for adults.  Rather than just walking a route, participants were challenged to think about the plight of homeless.  Signs, videos and interactive activities were available.  The Athens Messenger reported:

The Kids Walk featured a homeless camp made up of former residents of the Timothy House who were there to tell their stories as kids asked questions. “Children are the next generation of decision-makers on issues that matter to the poor,” Wasserman said. “Children have a pure motivation that’s not encumbered by politics.”

“It was amazing how the people were so articulate, kind and willing to share their stories,” said Jamie Linscott, an adult volunteer who went on the Kids Walk. “They didn’t fit any stereotypes of homelessness and poverty. It made it real, but not scary for the kids.”

The Everyday Giving blog has a great story on an event called Walkathon for Hope. This one event will make a huge difference in the lives of people living in Honduras:

The Walkathon for Hope was made possible by the nonprofit organization Students Helping Honduras. The event had 2,000 participants and raised its goal of $200,000 to build 72 houses in the village of Siete de Abril in Honduras. We walked ten miles on the day of the event. I am proud to have been a part of it.

Find out more about Walkathon for Hope

Many in the northern states of the U.S.A. and Canada are concerned with the rising costs of heating their homes during the winter. One fundraiser “Care to Ride” created by Oil Heat Cares takes action to help families in need. This event includes bicyclists, motorcyclists and walkers all participating to raise funds. The event occured in Hershey, Pennsylania on May 21, 2007.  The event raised $75,000 this year, last year’s event raised $50,000.

Oil Heat Cares is a not-for-profit foundation which assists people in need and organizations with the replacement of their oil heating appliances. Funds raised by the foundation purchase heating equipment and the National Association of Oil Heating Service Managers chapters and members help to identify  people and organizations in their communities that need assistance. They then install the equipment at no cost to the homeowner.

“We had challenged the industry to improve on last year ’s total,” Don Farrelll said. Farrell is the founder and director of “Care to Ride.” “To see that exceeded by 50% is astounding. The credit goes to the generosity of the corporate sponsors and the good people who came out and participated.”

The participants enjoyed music and refreshments before the event at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey, PA. The cyclists then rode to the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association. The motorcycles rode through the Pennsylvania countryside and rested at Cabela’s Outdoor Outfitters. The walkers walked a local path on a 5K route.

 Source: Contractor Mag.com

The founder of Housing With Love, Bob Murray, is pleased that this year he will be able to walk the entire route. This year he battled frostbite on his feet during the winter, and his walking training has suffered.

The goal for the walk is to raise $250,000, 15% up from last year’s total. These funds will go to fight homelessness on the Cape. Over 400 walked to walk the route on July 8th. The route begins in Provincetown. The walk completed the following Sunday, July 15th.

The charity helps workers who have trouble because the rents on the Cape are very high. Some workers can run into a difficult situation if they are unable to work for even a short period of time, as this can affect their ability to pay their rent.

The funds raised will be shared with 10 participating agencies.

Many college students spend their summer working at a day camp, perhaps traveling with their families or perhaps taking additional courses towards their degrees. 25 studuents, mostly from Yale University chose to make the cross country bike trip to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

The bike trip is an annual event called The Habitat Bike Challenge. It is the single largest fund-raiser by a Habitat for Humanity chapter and it benefits the New Haven, Connecticut Habitat for Humanity affiliate. Riders must raise a minimum of $4,000 to go on the trip. This equals approximately one dollar for each mile across the United States. The fund-raiser will pay for the construction of five to six Habitat homes in the New Haven area.

Students travel an average of 70 miles each day with scheduled stops. They have days off and they also do work for Habitat for Humanity along the way. The group enjoys especially traveling through smaller towns and seeing a part of the country that many people do not “specifically” set out to see. “You go through nothingness and cornfields and bale of hay after bale of hay and you pop into these towns,” Wagner said. Andy Wagner, a theater major at Yale University is one of the group leaders for the trip.

Source: Lake Sun Leader