Last Saturday, over 400 supporters in 35 states joined Mercy for our annual Virtual Run for Mercy 5K and Family Walk! As of today, a total of $66,000 was raised, surpassing the funds raised from last year’s Run for Mercy 5K! Our supporters continue to bless us so greatly with their generosity and willingness to partner with us to provide opportunities for all to experience God’s unconditional love, forgiveness, and life-transforming power.
We took to social media and asked participants and teams to show us what their race day looked like, and we were blown away by their dedication! A 47-person team in Colorado completed their 5K in the rain, while some of our Nashville participants braved the summer heat during their race. Many teams had encouraging signs and even balloon arches at their race sites. It was encouraging to see the many individuals, teams, and even families complete their races all over the country. We even had someone who has been supporting Mercy since its very start in 1983 join us!
Our National Director of Philanthropy, Lauren Hobar, had this to say about this year’s 5K:
“We are celebrating 40 years of Mercy this year, and we are so grateful for the way everyone really stepped up for the 5K to support us! To everyone who has signed up, fundraised, prayed, and participated in any way this year – thank you! You are making freedom in Christ possible for those who we serve.”
The women in our Residential Program also train and participate in our annual 5K each year! This helps build a foundation for their health and wellness while teaching them how to set and reach goals. Although training and participating in a 5K can be challenging, Run for Mercy is a highlight for so many of our residents during their time at Mercy. We are so thankful that volunteers and supporters from their communities came to support and encourage them during race day this year.
Here are some of the encouraging comments we received from our residents about their Run for Mercy experience:
“This was truly a healing experience. I honestly did not expect to be running and start crying in the middle of the run, but I did because of the people supporting us on the sidelines holding up signs that said, “You are loved!”, “You are Seen!”, “You are Heard!”, and “You’ve Got This!”. They were held by people I didn’t even know, and they were cheering me on. For so long I felt unloved, unseen, and unheard, but at Mercy, and today I feel truly supported, seen, heard, and unconditionally loved. I loved being able to finish the run feeling like I gave 100 percent! I thank Jesus for that!” – Lyndsay
“This was such a great experience. I love knowing I have it in me to accomplish something like this. I didn’t think I could do it, honestly. I pushed myself in moments, and I even got a cramp at one point. But then others came beside me and encouraged me to push – and rest – through it. I got to practice both pushing myself and being kind to myself and listening to my body. I know now that next time I can push myself harder, and further.” – Alex
“I loved today! The run today was a blast. It was so cool to see the different volunteers at each drink station along the route. Everyone was SO nice and encouraging! My plan of action is to be a part of as many future Mercy 5K’s as I can!” – Courtney
We are so proud of each of our residents for completing the 5K this year! Their hard work and dedication helped them reach this goal and will continue to help them reach many others in life. Thank you to the staff who came alongside them and encouraged them along the way!
A special thank you to this year’s sponsors and to everyone who fundraised, donated, and participated in this year’s Virtual Run for Mercy 5K and Family Walk!
If you didn’t have the chance to participate in this year’s Virtual Run for Mercy 5K and Family Walk but would still like to donate, click here.
