It's all about the children...

The Run For Hungry Children began in 2002 with 1 site in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Since then, the Run has added 6 more sites spanning 4 states, involving 5,500 runners and walkers and countless volunteers all while raising over $465,000.

 For 9 years, the goal has been to feed hungry children. 10.9 million children under the age of 5 die each year from hunger-related causes. It is all too common for children around the globe, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America to go days on end with desperately hungry stomachs.

Whether it is poor children in Haiti or AIDS orphans in Africa, Bright Hope has committed to providing relief to children around the world, leveraging local partners and indigenous organizations through which aid can be provided.

The math is simple and stunning: Every $30 raised feeds and educates 1 child for one month!

About the Kids

While there are many stories to tell about the children helped by the Run for Hungry Children, here are some specific examples of how Bright Hope is making a difference:

KENYA: "It is a great joy for us to be able to support the education of these children," says the Bright Hope Partnership Developer in Kenya. "These children live in exile. They have no real home. There is no greater gift we can give them than the gift of education, because there is so much hopelessness in refugee communities. Being able to attend school gives these kids hope."

The most important aspect of this project is that these children and young adults are being taught the Word of God right along with their daily studies. "Bright Hope is making this happen, through this support," Dotun said. "These scholarships are giving hope to the hopeless. We would not have the freedom to go into most of their home countries and reach them with the Gospel. But God is bringing them right tour front door, and we can now reach them. It is the familiar refugee story. Most refugees feels they have been let down by everything they know -- their government, their country, even their own people. But we see God using their refugee situation to His glory. They are hearing the Word of God every day in their classes. And they are responding. We are praying that these kids will put their education and spiritual teaching to work for their future."

HAITI: Can you imagine knowing that your own child, brother, or sister was going to school every day to learn their ABC’s and 1, 2, 3’s but learning was crowded out by hunger pains? In Haiti, they have a saying – 'a hungry stomach has no ears'. This is the reality for many children and families in Pignon, Haiti, particularly after the devastating earthquake in January 2010. At Bright Hope, we believe every child has the right to a quality education. Quite often in the areas where we work, the learning process is stunted before it can start by malnutrition.

Our partner in Pignon, Haiti, has established 17 schools in Pignon and the surrounding communities and was able to establish a School Feeding Program. Many of the students do not receive proper nutrition or even a basic meal before attending school and most would not be attending school at all if it were not for these programs.

How you can help:

We can't do it alone! There are several ways you can get involved:

• Sign up for the race as a runner or walker and raise money using our easy online tools.
• Make a donation.
• Volunteer to help at one of our local event sites.
• You or your company can sponsor your local event.
• Consider becoming a host site.