A Safe Haven Wraps Up Second Annual Virtual Global Run/Walk to End Homelessness People From 10 Countries and 32 States Joined the Movement
For Immediate Release:
Contact
Neli Vazquez Rowland
Media@ASafeHaven.org
(Chicago, Ill.) Aug. 9, 2021– A Safe Haven (ASH), an internationally acclaimed top Chicago-based 501©3 nonprofit dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness, concluded its second annual Virtual Global Run/Walk to End Homelessness. During the pandemic, this run/walk became virtual in 2020 for the first time. Since 2010, the Run To End Homelessness has been Chicago’s first and largest run/walk for the cause, engaging tens of thousands of people since inception!
For one week, runners and walkers around the globe supported the cause to raise awareness and garner support for the public health issue of homelessness. The event attracted top media, association, corporate and small business sponsors, and participants from 32 states and 10 countries and raised over $350,000. All net proceeds will go directly to feed and house an average of 5,000 homeless people, including reentry, women and children, youth, and military veteran populations, residing at A Safe Haven Foundation.
The funds are important more than ever due to the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Safe Haven is seeing a surge in demand for food, housing, and services. Thousands of people that were living paycheck to paycheck have lost jobs, their homes and many of our most vulnerable populations have been infected by COVID-19 and need a place to isolate and get access to health and behavioral healthcare services. In 2020, A Safe Haven opened a COVID-19 Medical Respite Center for the homeless and most vulnerable to have a place to isolate and receive medical and behavioral healthcare services. As a result, it won the 2020 Chicago Innovation Award for having the “Best Response to the Covid-19 pandemic”.
An avid runner, ASH President and Co-Founder Neli Vazquez Rowland was excited to run 30 kilometers during the week in honor of the occasion run and knew the many participants who also joined the mission.
“On behalf of all of us at A Safe Haven Foundation and especially those facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises made worse because of the pandemic, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us put the issue of homelessness on the map as an urgent matter that we need to prioritize and support everywhere,” said Rowland. “We thank the participants for their endless support and decision to help those in need.”
Rowland also wanted to thank the various sponsors who made this event possible:
Top Media: ABC7 Chicago; Comcast NBCUniversal; iHeart Media Chicago; Make it Better Media; NBC 5 Chicago; Telemundo and NBC Sports Chicago
Gold: The Riot Fest Foundation
Silver: American Guard Group, L.L.C.; Busey Bank; Cinespace Chicago Film Studios; Gnade Insurance; Tandem HR; and West Bend Mutual Insurance
Bronze: Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen; Cabrera Capital; Chicago Sun Times; Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC; FGMK; Lendlease; Mathematica Policy Research; Rotary/One Foundation; Rush University Medical Center and Urban Works, Ltd.
Community Partners: 93.9 Lite FM; All Chicago; CHHRGE (Chicago Homelessness & Health Response Group For Equity); HispanicPro; Illinois Chamber of Commerce; The Institute of Medicine of Chicago, LEEN; (Latina Executive & Entrepreneur Network) Little Village Community Foundation; Negocios Now; Small Business Advocacy Council and TFOCB (The Face of Chicago Business).
Kid Zone: Cristina Foods Inc.; CohnReznick; DoorDash; Enterprise Fleet Management; Michael V. Favia Law Firm; MultiLatino Marketing Inc.; NAV Fund Administration; Northern Trust; Ozinga and Waubonsee Community College
ASH has been a pioneering architect and an anchor organization serving and meeting the needs of Chicago’s homeless since 1994. Their integrated network of behavioral healthcare, education, job training, social enterprises and phased housing programs is headquartered in one of Chicago’s most poverty-stricken communities known as the North Lawndale community. ASH houses and feeds three healthy nutritious meals to over 5,000 homeless people including adults, youth, families with children and military veterans, annually.