Run David, Run

On Saturday I attended a conference hosted by the Kidz2Kidz Santa Shoebox Project.  The guest speaker was David Grier, an extreme athlete.  He told us about his run along the Great Wall of China, the run around the coast of South Africa, the kayaking from Africa to Madagascar and the run around Madagascar.

He doesn’t do these runs for nothing.  Every time he does one of these challenges he is actually raising funds for the Cipla Miles For Smiles Foundation. This foundation raises money for the international non profit organisation Operation Smile which gives underprivileged children born with facial disfigurements such as cleft pallets the opportunity to have reconstructive facial surgery that they otherwise would never have received. Hundreds of children received surgery as a result of the challenges undertaken by David Grier.

He told us that on his challenge around the South African coast he would pass through cities where children were waiting for him and they would give him their lunch money as a donation for the cause. On that trip he raised six hundred thousand Rands from the money given to him by children along the way.

From all of his inspiring stories, what really got me thinking was when he told us that while he was in Madagascar he would pass through small villages and, without having to ask for anything, people would welcome him into their homes and give him food and shelter. And he told us, “those who have the least are the ones who give the most”.