Hi all,
Kennedy Chege is a 14-year old orphan whose story is sadly typical of many kids in Kenya whose parents have died. Here is a photo of Kennedy and below I’ve included the text of a letter he writes asking for help. His English is a bit rough but you’ll find his story moving. Thanks for reading,
John F.
Kennedy’s letter:
“I am Kennedy Chege a orphan who is a Kenyan citizen aged 14 (fourteen) years and very discouraged and almost hopeless in life because of the problems am undergoing through as orphan who entirely depend on well wishes to live and my relatives to survive and to be educated where at times they fail to assist me while at sometimes they come once in a while and on coming they do not support me fully. I live with my grand-grandparents who are very old hence they can’t fully work and they depend on their sons and daughters who are not so capable to assist me forcing me with them to go on hunger at sometimes.I am in Standard Four [equivalent to middle school in US] where even the little school  fees is a problem and school uniforms are so different from other pupils as they are  full of patches even other pupils telling me that am a chamelion.I was living with my mum who died in the late 1998 when I was only 4 years of age. My big dream is to be a doctor and help others who are undergoing through many problems on depend on myself. We were born three but only me is surviving, the others died because of problems. I would be very grateful if you assisted me to aspire my dream to become a man of self worth in the entire society in the world.“

Created by our friend Matt Beattie. Thank you Matt!

Hi all,

We are now in facebook! Please join us and spread the word about the Grace Race event and mission by inviting your facebook friends… just follow this link and feel free to add yourself as a member of our facebook group.”

Thanks,

The Grace Race team

Hello friends,

This is another one of those “miscellaneous” blogs …

First, a couple friends of mine recommended that our Grace Race committee members read “Three Cups of Tea” for inspiration. I just finished reading it (I actually read the Young Reader’s Version since that’s the one we had in our house) and indeed was inspired by what Greg Mortenson and his Central Asia Institute (CAI) have done for the poorest of the poor in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Though the culture, religion, and political circumstances there of course differ dramatically from those in Kenya the needs are strikingly similar - many kids living in extreme poverty, many of them orphans, and most of them illiterate and unable to receive even an elementary school education. continue reading » »

Hi runners, walkers,

I just found out about a cool new web site called strands.com that allows you to connect with other runners/walkers (or swimmers, hikers, cyclists, etc.). You can share workouts, goals, race experiences, best times, tips on running shoes or other gear, etc. with others who pound the pavement. There’s also an events calendar so you can get up to speed on local events. Register by accepting an invitation to join from existing member, or request an invite - www.strands.com.

On the Grace Race front ….

1. Saturday Oct. 10th is race day.

2. We decided to eliminate the loop around the building at the start and the partial loop at the finish. Starting line will be at the same place as always, and finish will be right in the side parking lot.

We’ll add distance elsewhere in the course at get it re-certified. These changes should help us accommodate a bigger field (yes, we are planning for a bigger field this year - have you told friends about the race yet?). continue reading » »

Hello runners and walkers,

Winter isn’t over yet but maybe you’re already thinking about fall running. The 6th Annual Grace Race will be held Saturday Oct. 10th 2009 at 10:00 AM. It’s hard for us to believe we’re already into our sixth year of this unique event! The race is week earlier than last year, so it will not be on the same weekend as the Bay State Marathon and 1/2 Marathon this year. This means if you’re running Bay State and are looking for a nice “tune-up” race a week before the 1/2 or full marathon, just a few miles from the Bay State starting line, the Grace Race is custom made for you! continue reading » »

Hello again to everyone.

Good news to share …. All of the pledge money has finally arrived and so we wired the money to Naivasha Kenya today! The net proceeds from this year’s event came to a total of $5395. Our expenses this year were higher than last year’s and that explains partly why our net proceeds were down a few thousand dollars from last year’s. The economy may be part of the explanation too. Nevertheless, we saw some incredibly generous donations from people with a passion for helping orphans. We saw some participants raising hundreds of dollars through the pledge sheet. continue reading » »

Thank you and congratulations to all of you runners and walkers who participated in the 5th Annual Grace Race!! Thank you for your contributions to the orphanage and vocational training center in Naivasha Kenya. It’s only with your support that we can complete this project. Thanks once again to all the race-day volunteers for their help and enthusiasm. We are also grateful for the many local companies who provided donations in the form of cash, refreshments, and raffle prizes. These all helped to make the event a success. continue reading » »

First, a big thank you to all runners and walkers who have pre-registered. Many who have participated in past years will be coming again and that is awesome! We just want to remind you each to use the pledge sheet. It’s not required of course, but we encourage you to consider it. You can download the sheet on the web site (Step 3 listed on “The Race” page). continue reading » »

Hi everyone,

The 5th Annual Grace Race is just over 6 weeks away! Thanks to those who have already registered online or by mailing in registrations. Please remember to use the pledge sheet - get your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors to each pledge a few dollars (or a larger amount). This is how we raise more money for the orphanage and vocational training center. We’re trying to reach our goal of raising $50K this year. continue reading » »