Area runners
and walkers can help save girls and women victimized by sex trafficking by
taking part in the RESCUE RUN 5K run/walk on October 13 at the Terry Trueblood
Reserve Area by Sand Lake in Iowa City.
The Rescue Run
seeks to unite people, organizations and businesses toward the common cause of
ending human trafficking. According to the United Nations, about 2.5 million
people from 127 countries are in some form of forced servitude, including
sexual exploitation.
Helping to
combat that is
Rapha House, a Christian organization that seeks to love and
help girls and women who have been victimized by the sex trafficking trade in
Southeast Asia, the United States, and soon, Haiti.
“They seek to
‘love, rescue, and heal’ women and children affected by sex trafficking,” said
Lillian Meyers, the head organizer of the Rescue Run who has worked with Rapha
House. “Their safe houses are equipped with counselors, social workers, and
educators to provide these young women with the possibility of a very bright
future. For many of these victims, it is the first time they have had a purpose
and been loved by parent figures.”
It costs $30
per month to sponsor a child through Rapha House, whose name comes from the
Hebrew word for “healing.” Children and women who have been victimized are
helped through the organization by being provided a place to live, receiving an
education and learning a trade away from the sex industry.
The cost for
pre-registration for the run at the Terry Trueblood Reserve Area, 4213 SE Sand
Road in Iowa City, is $30 per runner, with all proceeds benefiting Rapha House
and their efforts to end human trafficking in Iowa, the United States and
beyond. The cost includes a T-shirt, with prizes given to the top runners.
Pre-registration is closed now, but you can still register the day of
the race Saturday, Oct. 13, between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. T-shirts will be
available for sale for $10 each (payable by cash or check) to those who
register the day of the race while supplies last. For more information
or if you have questions, please
email us.
There is still time to register for this year's Rescue Run if you have not already. You can register today for $30 by filling out a paper registration at We Run in North Liberty. You can also sign up tomorrow morning starting at 7-7:45 am for $35.
