This November, I'll be participating in the Serengeti Girls Run: three half marathons in three days across Singita Grumeti's private concession in Tanzania.

The funds raised from this 63-kilometer challenge will support the empowerment of young women in rural Tanzania, as well as aid in crucial animal protection, anti-poaching, and wildlife conservation efforts.

To further the positive impact of this challenge, I'm working to raise an additional significant donation in loving memory of my younger sister, Jillian, who passed away in a tragic accident five years ago this July. Like me, Jill was a lifelong vegetarian. She loved animals, especially her golden retriever puppy, Freyja. She was stunningly beautiful, fiercely independent, traveled often, and had a deep connection to nature and the great outdoors. She spent much of her free time hiking, distance running, journaling, reading, baking the most delicious zucchini and banana bread I've ever eaten, and also enjoyed painting. In college, she majored in Global Health, Culture & Medicine, and was determined to continue her work and research locally and abroad.

Her sudden passing at age 27 brought unimaginable pain and sadness to all who knew and loved her. I miss her every day, forever wondering what she could have, and would have, achieved. Africa was always on her travel bucket list, and so in that spirit, I'm aiming to raise 27,000 euros in her honor. 100% of the proceeds will be directed to the Grumeti Fund, supporting animal protection, wildlife conservation, and education in a part of the world that has a big piece of my heart. This is just one of the ways I hope to keep Jill's dreams alive, and her memory in motion.

Thank you for taking the time to read, for your contribution to this very personal story, and for your support of what is sure to be a challenging, but even more fulfilling, race ahead.

For more information, please visit:

https://singita.com/conservation/projects/serengeti-girls-run/

xoKx