Join the fun at the 3rd annual 5K RUN! To End Homelessness to support a cause that helps more than 1,000 people in need daily.
What: A chip-timed 5K run/walk and a kid’s fun run, backed up by live music. All proceeds benefit A Safe Haven, a nonprofit that works to end the cycle of homelessness, joblessness, incarceration and addiction.
Where: Douglas Park, 1225 South California Avenue, Chicago
When: Sunday, July 14, 8 a.m.
How: Register to run or walk as an individual or team, sponsor a participant, or make a donation online.
The organization: Since its creation in 1994, A Safe Haven has helped more than 32,000 clients. They offer 500 apartments in 16 sites for permanent housing, as well as 1,375 beds for temporary housing that includes supportive services such as health care, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and job training.
One client, Jennette, came to A Safe Haven homeless and in crisis. She completed the customer service job-training program through A Safe Haven, working in the phone bank. Now she pays her own rent and is self-sufficient.
“It is the best feeling in the whole world,” says Jennette, mother of two. “For the first time in my life, I am excited about what the future holds.”
A Safe Haven has helped people aspire, transform, and sustain their lives from homelessness to self-sufficiency with pride and purpose. They provide the tools for each individual to overcome the root causes of homelessness through a holistic, scalable model. A Safe Haven’s visible social and economic impact unites families, stabilizes neighborhoods, and creates vibrant, viable communities.
For more race details, check out their inspirational video here.
A Safe Haven was the winner of “Most Inspiring Mission, Local” in our 2012-2013 Philanthropy Awards. Find more information on the organization here.
