Want to see me run 13.1 miles in TrackTown USA and support a powerful mental health cause? You’re in luck—help me get to the Eugene Half Marathon by donating to Relief Nursery. As many of you know I use to be a bit of a running fanatic. To me Eugene, Oregon is a dream for me. During my high school running obsession , I loved to watch Emma Abrahamson (Ducks cross-country team icon) run through Eugene and adventure through the capital of American distance running.

As a psychology student, this organization immediately stood out to me. Back in Omaha, I worked at a therapeutic preschool serving children with behavioral issues. The overwhelming majority of these children had rough home lives or were in and out foster care. I continuingly saw the pain, confusion, and fear these kids carried with them. The program did incredible work teaching emotional regulation and safe self-expression—but what it couldn’t address were the conditions waiting for many of them at home.

Abuse and neglect have long-lasting, and often irreversible, effects on brain development, attachment, and overall well-being. Even more devastating is the cyclical nature of abuse—according to the National Institutes of Health, roughly one-third of abused children grow up to repeat patterns of abuse or serious neglect. Relief Nursery exists to interrupt that cycle before it continues into the next generation.

Rather than focusing solely on the child, Relief Nursery takes a whole-family approach, offering parenting education, in-home support, therapeutic services, and early childhood programs. Their work centers on prevention and healing, with the goal of keeping families safely together whenever possible.

Please donate to help children have the loving families that they deserve and help me get my runner girl dream!