Bluegrass to Boston for Survivors

I've qualified for the Boston Marathon, held on April 15, 2019, and I'm dedicating my race to survivors of intimate partner abuse. 

A few years ago, I launched a campaign called Bluegrass to Boston for Survivors which aimed to raise money for GreenHouse17 while I ran in the Boston Marathon. We received so much overwhelming support and this cause is so dear to my heart that I decided I'd like to do it again with this year's Boston Marathon. 

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence , 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence (e.g. beating, burning, strangling) by an intimate partner in their lifetime. On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.

This is not okay. We must do something about it. As a human I feel a responsibility to get involved but as a man, I feel a special duty to step up and act. We spend way too much time and money teaching women not to get abused, assaulted, and raped and not nearly enough teaching men to not abuse, assault, and rape.

As those statistics allude to, the magnitude  of this issue can overwhelm anyone wanting to get involved. It can leave us struggling to know how to even take a first step.

Fortunately there is an incredible agency that has been taking those first steps--and many subsequent steps--for years.  GreenHouse17 is an advocacy agency committed to ending intimate partner abuse in families and the community. 

I want to help this special agency by raising money to help them continue protecting survivors of intimate partner abuse. One of the best ways I can do that is by raising funds for them to continue running their shelter, providing safety for their residents, and advocating for survivors everywhere. 

My goal is $2,040. A very specific amount for a very specific reason. 

$2,040 would be $2 a day for every survivor of intimate partner abuse who will find safety and healing at the GreenHouse17 emergency shelter during the month of April.

On average, each day GreenHouse17 provides safe emergency shelter and supportive services for 34 adults and their children who are surviving intimate partner abuse in central Kentucky. In April, when the Boston Marathon runs, survivors will collectively experience 1020 days of safety and healing at the agency's emergency shelter and on the beautiful farm that surrounds it.

Please join me in rallying together for survivors of intimate partner abuse and supporting GreenHouse17 by sharing this and donating any amount you can.