Hi all! My name is Jonah Black, and I have partnered with Lay First Responders International to raise money for their work in expanding global access to emergency care.

I am a fourth-year student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where I work as an EMT with the Illinois Fire Service Institute and volunteer with the Red Cross Disaster Action Team. I started running seriously in 2024 and have since completed two marathons, most recently finishing in 2:57:27 this past spring. On November 8th, I will take on my biggest endurance challenge yet: running 100 miles at Tunnel Hill in support of LFR International.

As an EMT, I have experienced firsthand the importance of rapid emergency care in prehospital settings. LFR is bringing that same level of responsiveness to places where EMS infrastructure does not exist, working in countries such as Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Guatemala.

What drew me to LFR is their commitment to academic rigor. They regularly conduct pre- and post-training studies to measure the real-world impact of their programs, and their results are resoundingly positive. They are also the leading publisher of peer-reviewed research on lay first responder programs worldwide and have trained nearly 8,000 first responders across eight countries to date.

Recently, however, LFR faced a setback: USAID suspended its $200,000 grant without full disbursement. Despite this, LFR remains committed to building scalable digital training platforms that expand access to emergency care. Supporting them now can help bridge that funding gap and keep their life-saving work moving forward.

The 100 mile headline looks a bit over the top, which is intentional. I want to use this race to highlight LFR’s work in building first-response systems that are both proven and scalable. Donations will go directly toward training responders, advancing research, and expanding digital programs so thousands more people can access emergency care.

Thank you for considering joining me in this effort.

Special thanks to Monster Energy, whose support has helped make this event possible