A fundraiser in Lincoln next month hopes to bring education to underserved children in South Asia.
On April 13, nearly 600 people will gather at Pioneers Park for the annual Run for Hope, presented by the Hope Venture.
Participants will run either a 5K or 10K in support of bringing education to India's and Bangladesh's most disadvantaged kids.
The $45 registration fee covers admission, a drawstring bag, a T-shirt, a sticker, food and drinks on race day and, most importantly, one backpack filled with school supplies for a child in need.
Josh Petersen, co-hub director with the Hope Venture, says the run is part of a focus on building a community of fun generosity.
"I think it's really special to get to provide a Saturday morning full of fun for a growing community but also help connect people to something important," he said. "We really do love getting to do that together."
The Hope Venture is a nonprofit based in Lincoln that focuses on education and health projects around the world for those in extreme poverty.
"The backpack project is actually the first project that we ever did and kind of the reason our organization exists today," Petersen said.
The Hope Venture is hoping to raise $50,000 from the Run for Hope this year, which would provide well over 3,000 backpacks to children in India and Bangladesh.
Courtesy photo
It started about 15 years ago, with Petersen's mom and executive director of the Hope Venture, Cynci Petersen.
Josh said Cynci got the inspiration for the project after making connections with a local leader in India who had been working on providing school supplies to kids.
The Hope Venture wanted to help, so the organization sent $5,000 to India, which allowed the purchase of 500 backpacks filled with school supplies.
As of 2024, the Hope Venture has provided more than 70,000 backpacks to children in villages across the region.
"We've got connections to people all over now at this point," Josh Petersen said.
Many of the families they assist make under $2 a day, making a $15 backpack unattainable, not to mention other school supplies.
"If the kids don't have school supplies, it's hard to learn," Petersen said. "Even a lot of schools won't let them attend if they don't have their own supplies. So literally a $15 backpack can be the ticket to a year's worth of education."
Without backpacks, the experience of getting to school is often grueling for young students in the region. While a school in America may be just a short drive down the road, children in countries like India and Bangladesh often have to walk several miles, carrying their books and supplies in makeshift bags and boxes that frequently rip.
It's even worse when it rains.
"They show up to school completely soaked with all of their supplies completely soaked," Petersen said. "It's hard enough for elementary school kids to focus in class normally, but let alone being completely soaked."
To combat this, the Hope Venture added umbrellas to the backpacks.
Supplies in the backpacks include notebooks, pencils, erasers, pens and other basic school supplies, although it is area dependent based on curriculum.
Courtesy photo
Other supplies in the backpacks include notebooks, pencils, erasers, pens and other basic school supplies.
The Hope Venture is hoping to raise $50,000 from the Run for Hope this year, which would provide more than 3,000 backpacks.
"I think we're on track to hit that and we're very excited about that," Petersen said.
The run started back in 2012, when Petersen was in high school at Lincoln Southwest.
He was friends with Hayley Hamm, who was already involved with the Hope Venture and wanted to do something to raise money as part of her National Honors Society project.
Hamm was an avid runner, and chose to start a race with the Hope Venture.
Hope Venture board member Molly Burgher was also part of the team that started the Run for Hope and has continued to work on the event every year since its inception.
Burgher said it's hard work, with a lot of preparation and planning, but it's always worth it in the end.
"Everybody's excited to come out and help raise money for a great organization and a great cause to bring education to children," she said. "Giving education to people is going to be the longest-lasting effect of dollars spent."
For those who want to help but would rather not run or walk the race, Burger said there are plenty of volunteer opportunities including working turnaround points, being a member of the cheer squad, working the food and drink areas and more.
"If people want to get involved, there's plenty of different things to be able to do," she said.
While the run is focused on charity, there are still a few prizes for first- and second-place finishers — $100 for first place and a $50 running store gift card for second. Additionally, there are prizes for best costume and biggest team to encourage more participants.
Registration ends at the end of March.
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Contact the writer at rluetkemeyer@journalstar.com or 402-473-7326.
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