Wooly Wednesday: No Longer 5K Review

Let's start this Wooly Wednesday off with a BIG, WOOLY THANK YOU to the many runners, walkers, and spectators who showed up for the No Longer 5K last Saturday morning! THANK YOU!!

 

The days leading up to the 3^rd annual No Longer 5K were fast and furious. Lots of last minute tasks to wrap up….. finalizing details with our new timing company, rolling our cool new shirts, laying out a stress-free check-in system, and more randomness. With days (and even hours) to go until the start of the race, we all turned into seasoned meteorologists with minutes of formal training (which we earned by using every weather app we could find). Up until an hour before the race started we were still thinking the 90% chance of thunderstorms could possibly roll through and ruin a morning we had planned for over the last 365 days. But, as the morning sun rose and time ticked by, the rain held off for a fantastic morning. Just under 300 people showed up for a fun-filled morning to run, jog or walk. Amazingly, No Longer raised over $25,000 to help care for the children at Casa Amor. These funds will help clothe, feed, provide schooling, pay for caregivers and much more to help ensure these children who are orphaned will have a future. These precious lives in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic will be forever impacted by the generosity showed by the participants and spectators enjoying a Saturday morning race in Trussville, Alabama. 

We hope you were able to visit our education area on Saturday to see the faces of the children who call Casa Amor home. When you see their smiling faces and their eyes filled with hope, it’s impossible not to fall in love with them immediately. Saturday morning as we gathered together to run, over 1440 miles away 20 children were playing in the morning sun having no idea what was happening on their behalf in Alabama. They had no idea a community had gathered together to celebrate them and raise support and awareness for orphans.   

The 5K absolutely could not have happened without the support of our sponsors. Because of their commitment we are able to continue to provide and care for the children at Casa Amor. Please thank all the race sponsors by supporting them in our local community. Also, we have the BEST volunteers. They helped learn a new timing check-in system, stuffed bags, and set up and cleaned up on race day. We simply could not pull off a successful race without the help of so many dedicated volunteers.  

 

 

Thank you again to everyone who participated in the No Longer 5K by running, volunteering, and cheering. The No Longer 5K planning team is grateful for your support and love. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see more pictures and updates coming later this week.

Wooly Wednesday: The No Longer 5K & a Giveaway

Yes, it's Wooly Wednesday, but we're taking things in a different direction today to talk about the 3rd annual No Longer 5K! The race will take place on Saturday, April 25, in downtown Trussville, and we are anticipating a wonderful morning. Plans have been made, volunteers are being organized, and some awesome sponsors have been found, so now all that's left is for you to sign up to run or walk! It will be a day for promoting health and wellness in our own community while raising awareness and funds for the orphaned children living at the Casa Amor orphanage in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The success of the first No Longer 5K three years ago came as a huge surprise to the No Longer team. We honestly weren't sure if a single person would show up that morning, but on race day we had a parking lot full of smiling faces and enthusiastic supporters. We were even more overwhelmed by the turnout last year and were completely astounded at what God makes possible. We are so thankful He allows us to be a part of His work. The craziest thing? At the time of the first two years of the 5K, there were no children living at Casa Amor and the plan for No Longer's involvement was somewhat unclear.

Thank the Lord, this year things have changed! We are so excited about the 3rd annual No Longer 5K because this year we have precious faces to share who have names and stories, children we have met and who we dearly love, living at Casa Amor: Vianny, Marianny, Millie, Gabriella, Carmen, Rosie, Millie, Adrian, Carlos, Christopher, Danielito, Junior, Diego, Edwin, Hans, Jose, Juan Carlos, Miguel Angel, Richard, and Yensi. Some of these children you have met through Wooly Wednesday posts, and others you will meet over time, but all of these children are equally loved by Jesus and equally in need of believers who have decided INACTION IS NO LONGER AN OPTION to speak up on their behalf.

Grab your family and friends! We need runners and walkers and families of all ages to come out in support of No Longer as we raise awareness for the orphaned children living in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. This year we are raising money for the monthly support of the children, mommas and other caretakers at Casa Amor, and also for a few construction projects that will enhance the lives of both the family at Casa Amor and the people in the Brisas neighborhood surrounding the orphanage. There are many wonderful plans in the works!

The future of Casa Amor is so bright and the morning of the 5K will be a ton of fun for your entire family as we celebrate what has happened in the last three years and what is yet to come! Please join us and help spread the word!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!

Contest time!! Want to win a gray microfiber No Longer 5K tee and a one-of-a-kind cross made from metal taken off the side of a Dominican house before it was replaced? All you need to do for a chance to win is leave a comment either on this blog post or on this week's Wooly Wednesday post on Facebook with the name of who you will be running for at this year's No Longer 5K! {Cheat sheet: the names of the children living at Casa Amor are listed above!} Not able to participate in the 5K? No problem! Let us know the name of the child you will commit to pray for this week and that will count! *The winner will be announced in next week's Wooly Wednesday post.*

For more information about the race, join the No Longer 5K event page on Facebook by clicking here. We can't wait to see you on April 25!

good always wins

***Paige Dorr is a No Longer supporter, advocate for adoption, marathon runner, and she loves the Lord.  We asked her to be a guest blogger to tell us why she ran the 2013 Boston Marathon and to remind us all that good always wins.***

 

 

I am sitting down to write this after running the Boston Marathon, a lifetime goal of mine, much as it is for many serious runners.  Here's a little background about me...  I am 35 years old and am married to a precious man named Eric.  We have three sweet girls: Hannah, age 7, Emma Kate, age 2, and Chloe, age 1.  We love the Lord and are passionate about adoption.  We felt God's call to adopt three years ago and followed through when we adopted a beautiful baby girl from Jacksonville, Florida.  She has totally blessed our lives!  The entire, miraculous process of adoption has changed so much of how we think about Christ and how he has adopted us into His family.  Shortly after adopting our sweet Emma we found out I was pregnant with Chloe, and that is all a miracle in itself and a great story for another time!

I have always loved running.  I ran my first marathon twelve years ago and have been addicted to the sport ever since!  It is my stress relief and my time with girlfriends to chat.  I look forward to every morning I can rise and run with my friends!  I have run several marathons, but I have never run to raise awareness for anything I was passionate about until the 2013 Boston Marathon.  I really wanted to do something to help my friends, Gary and Amanda Knotts, who are currently in the process of bringing their twin boys home from Haiti.  Being the mother of three small children and with so little time on my hands, in my heart I felt the Lord telling me to use my love of running to raise awareness about adoption!  And, of course, I said YES!

Isaiah Kevenel and Isaac Kelley live just outside of Port au Prince at an orphanage called Three Angels. They just celebrated their first birthday a couple of weeks ago.  Gary and Amanda have an amazing story of how God placed them together with these precious boys, and it is awesome to read about the little miracles He has performed along the way to have them ready for each other at exactly the same time.  The fact that they wanted twin boys and decided to go through an orphanage with only a few kids living in it, and then there "happened" to be twin boys is only one of the many miracles!!  You can visit their blog at www.knottsfamilyjourney.blogspot.com to read their full story, and I encourage you to do this because it will bless your heart.

I ran the Boston Marathon in honor of these two boys to raise awareness of adoption and this family's personal story.  Prayers for Isaiah and Isaac as they wait to get home to their family are greatly appreciated!  I also ran to raise funds for this family.  They are currently paying $800 every month for their care in the orphanage until they bring them home.  The Knotts are also paying for multiple bonding trips to visit the boys in Haiti out of pocket.  Anyone interested in helping them can contact me and I will give you information about how to make a donation.  The money goes directly to care for Isaiah Kevenel and Isaac Kelley.  I, as well as the Knotts family, appreciate all your prayers and support.

Little did I know when I woke up Monday morning, planning to have the "race of my life," that all of this evil would occur!  I finished the marathon about an hour before the bombings and thankfully had just met my husband a couple blocks away when we heard the boom.  All we saw were people running with fear in their eyes.  We went in the same direction they were running, away from the smoke, not knowing what had happened.  As we were walking, a lady shared with us what she had witnessed and we were awestruck.  She showed us pictures of where I had just run past moments before, and it sickened me that someone could do this at such a happy event and one that is so near and dear to my heart!  What should have been a day of celebration and happiness turned into such a sadness that I can't find the words to explain.  We heard so many stories from people who were right there when the bombs exploded and so many miracles of how their lives were spared.  My heart breaks for those who were affected and the families of the victims.  What I do know is that we live in a fallen world and there is evil all around.  A friend of mine shared this verse on Monday and it sums it up best:

"Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Please join me and continue to pray for Boston and for the Knotts family, as well as for the safety of Isaac and Isaiah. 

Thanks for all of your prayers while we were in Boston! 

We are so blessed!

-Paige Dorr

 

 

***Since Paige is too modest to brag on herself, we thought it would be fun to share her final time in the Boston Marathon.  As the first woman and third overall to cross the finish line at the No Longer 5K,  we were all cheering her on as she traveled to Boston.  So it should come as no shock that Paige crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon at the 3:26:40 mark.  That is keeping a sub-8:00 mile pace for 26 miles!!  Absolutely amazing and the No Longer family is celebrating the accomplishment with you, Paige!***

 

Run or Walk for Orphans!

No Longer 5K
PRESENTED BY GIGI MINISTRY

{Saturday, April 6, 2013}  {Trussville, Alabama}

 

Grab your family and friends!  Big plans have been made and the excitement is building!  We need runners and walkers and families of all ages to come out to support No Longer with a morning of fun, music, and BIG surprises as we raise awareness for the orphaned children living in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  We are raising money to complete construction on the orphan homes we have helped start in Brisas, one of the poorest pockets of Santo Domingo.  The 5K day will be a ton of fun for the entire family and we hope you will join us and help spread the word!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!