Our daughter,Anna, died in a tragic car accident on July 7, 2010. Anna was only 21 years old but in her short time on earth she reached out to others in need and touched the lives of so many people. We heard from so many of her friends and from their parents how Anna had always been there for them in their times of need. We as her parents were amazed at all the stories we heard about her because s
he had never told us anything about her good deeds for others. It seemed that she believed that was just what a person does. We are so proud of how she lived her life for others and wanted her to be able to continue to help others after her death. We asked people at the time of her death to contribute to Sports Outreach Institute for a well to be dug in Gulu, Uganda in memory of Anna. Her soccer coach, Todd Olsen, was the contact person for us in working with Sports Outreach. He was involved with Sports Outreach's Ministry in Uganda. He contacted us about the well project and that is what we decided to do. The contributions in Anna's memory flowed in and the well was dug and dedicated in May of 2011. This is a deep well. They say they hit a river underground when they dug Anna's Well. Every year since 2011 we have held this 5K Walk/Run in Anna's memory to raise more funds for Anna's Well. Two water towers have been built to store the water. The water is used for the village and to irrigate crops during the dry season so there is enough food to eat. The well project continues to grow. Last year, we decided to also give part of the money received from the run to the Lynchburg College Women's Soccer Team Women of Worth Project. The team works through Sports Outreach to support and mentor 10 young women in Gulu, Uganda. Their support pays for the young women's education, food and medical care until they are 18 years old.The reason for this project is the belief that "if you educate a woman you will educate the nation." The Lynchburg team also works with at risk girls at a middle school in Lynchburg, VA. as part of their project. Giving these girls a chance at a better life by building their confidence and their self-esteem is at the heart of their local project. They mentor these girls and set an example of what life can be like if they stick with school and get their education. The Lynchburg team is giving the gift of hope to the young women they are helping. We hope that many people will join us for the Running For Anna Memorial 5K Walk/Run for Hope this year to raise money for both of these projects.
