Would you like to get involved? You can make your intentions felt with your feet through the Love Mercy Millions Challenge.
The challenge: for the Australian and New Zealand community to collectively run or walk 1,000,000km before the end of the Commonwealth Games in 2018. That’s a distance further than earth to the moon and back.
A love of running brought Australian Olympian Eloise Wellings middle distance runner and Ugandan Olympian and former child soldier Julius Achon. The Love Mercy Foundation was born in 2010 when these two athletes united to make a difference to the communities in Northern Uganda where Julius grew up, and the lives of people living there. Running is an important aspect of the foundation.
Eloise is encouraging people to get outdoors and exercise, but not just for themselves. Every time someone covers a distance, they aren’t just improving their own life, they’re improving the life of families living in poverty in Northern Uganda.
Each time the group reaches a milestone in kilometres, sponsors release a balloon of funds that get sent straight to the foundation’s projects in Uganda. So far, the group has over 300 members and is nearing the 50,000km mark. “I do think it’s possible to reach our goal,” says Wellings. “Every kilometre that someone donates will get us one step closer… and together we can achieve something incredible.”
If the group collectively runs or walks 1,000,000, they can potentially raise upwards of $50,000 from generous business sponsors and change the lives of thousands of people.
Find out more and join the challenge at the Love Mercy website.