Running for a Better Oakland

Thank you for visiting my RBO story! 

Am SO excited about training with Running For A Better Oakland, Year Five! A Fall Season of 5Ks is around the corner, and then the countdown is on! Starting in January, we have twelve weeks to prepare for this spring's half marathon. Saturday mornings with RBO are truly the highlight of my weekend. Volunteers come together from all over The Town to mentor local students in distance running, and week after week, mile after mile, these kids endure. As we cheer on their tenacity and perseverance, our champions shine, inspiring us with hope. Quitting is not an option, and we don't turn back... volunteering with this team is a wonderful reminder that progress comes only when we choose to move forward. #TheFutureIsBright 

Running For A Better Oakland is a non-profit organization that introduces K-12 students to the joy and intrinsic motivation of earned success. With the support of volunteer run mentors, RBO youth set goals, train hard, and build confidence during the program season. Accomplishment is the result of dedication and commitment, and Running For A Better Oakland provides our city's youth with a unique and empowering opportunity to experience this truth by keepin' on keepin' on, one foot in front of the other. Students carry skills gained throughout the season into all aspects of life, enduring when and wherever faced with challenge; many kids eventually become mentors themselves! #LiftingAsWeClimb 

One factor critical to the organization's success is that the RBO community reflect the greater community of Oakland, and that there are no financial barriers for students to participate. Your donation will support our efforts to meet this goal.

Your contribution will help provide students with race entry, coaching, running shoes if needed, and energy drinks/nutrition at practice. RBO would not be successful without the commitment and generosity of volunteers and donors. We can't thank you enough!

We are grateful for your support, whatever your contribution may be. I feel very fortunate to be involved with Running For A Better Oakland, and I'm excited to share this inspiring experience with you, regardless of a financial donation.

For more information on RBO, check out the website at www.rboakland.org, and feel free to ask me any questions!

Hi my name is Patrick Der. I am the program director of Green Cormorant Run Club. I am born and raised in Oakland. One thing you should know about me is I have so much love and passion for our beautiful city of Oakland. Oakland made me a competitor, and most importantly this city has taught me about community. If it wasn't for the role models that I had as an Oakland Youth there is a good chance I would of have turned out as a "statistic". These role models gave me the opportunity to use sports as a positive avenue to express myself and empowered me with the confidence needed to try and be great. Today I still use the sports to express myself; through running I manage the stresses of daily life, and I use my time running as an opportunity to reflect on what is and isn't important. Oakland is my home, and what is most important to me is to give back to the youth of this city.

This year for my 30th birthday I will host a run/walk-a-thon to raise money for Running For Better Oakland. Running For Better Oakland is a Non Profit organization that coaches K-12 Oakland students to prepare for the Oakland Running Festival and other local races. On February 11th, I will be running about 10 laps around Lake Merritt to make 31 miles. I am asking you all to sponsor me for $1 per mile that I run or to donate any amount you can. 100% of the proceeds will go to RBO and I want to invite all of you to celebrate my birthday with food, drinks and great company (Please RSVP). Your donations help RBO with practice equipment, provide buses to expose the students to other great running areas in the Bay Area, supplying proper running shoes for the students and can even create scholarship opportunities.

Please join me on my birthday to run with me, celebrate with me, and to raise money for a cause that is important to me. If you decide to run with me you do not need to run all 31 miles with me, but run as far as you can. When you participate on my run for a better Oakland, I guarantee you will feel the sense of empowerment and confidence that RBO gives to our Oakland Youth. I am asking for your sponsorship and donation to help me support an organization that helps give Oakland youth the same positive avenue I was once given.

I have set up a GoFundMe, but I want to encourage you to donate with cash or check RBO will be able to truly receive 100% of your donation. It doesn't matter how you donate just donate what you can, and if there is another way you can help out or donate during our run/walk-a-thon please feel free to contact me. We can use all the help we can get.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you on my birthday!

Pat Der

Run/Walk-a-thon:
Lake Merritt Amphitheater
Run Starts at 8:00 am

Pat's Birthday Party 
4pm-6pm
Please RSVP for Pat's bday dinner at [email redacted]

I have volunteered to be the Head Coach for   Running for a Better Oakland (RBO),   a non-profit organization that encourages kindergarten through 12th grade students to develop healthy lifestyles through running.

 Every Saturday morning from January to end of March, you will see yellow shirts and blue shirts running around Lake Merritt. They are our wonderful  RBO students supported by adult mentors training for  either the Half-marathon or the 5K  of the Oakland Running Festival.  So far, for our 6th season,  we have around 150+ students  who are also joined by their teachers and    sometimes their parents.  We have entire families participating in the program. This is the future of Oakland!!!


 Your donation will support our efforts to maintain a diverse group of students where any child who wants to join, may do so.