by Gabby Ordoñez
Sunday, November 5th, Legacy of Hope Foundation held its 1st annual: “Be a hero: Race for Legacy”, an initiative aimed to raise awareness in Santa Rosa de Copán, inspiring the community to get involved in caring for vulnerable and abandoned children.
It began with a dream of seeing our community participate in supporting the care and unique needs of the children that we receive daily in our Foundation. This desire to host an activity that would make a difference, propelled our team to work tirelessly, knocking on doors among friends, local churches, all kinds of businesses asking them to join us in this noble cause.
The community received us with open arms, each bringing something to the table to make the activity possible. Some people provided services or donations in kind, others made cash donations, and each contribution helped to make the wonderful event possible.
The community responded to the call to be a hero, braving the weather forecast that reported heavy rains. Entire families attended the race, dressing their little ones as superheroes, each wearing a brightly colored mask and cape which helped to set the tone for the entire event.
The race began early in the morning starting with 2 distance categories for the adults: 5K and 10K. In attendance were runners from across the nation, traveling from different parts of the country including the capital city of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, La Esperanza, and Choluteca. The race drew both elite and amateur runners who gathered together, lining up side by side to run to be a hero for all vulnerable children in the western region of Honduras.
Over two hundred children were registered for the Fun Run. They ran 1K while being cheered on by their family, friends, and spectators. Amidst laughter and applause, the children ran and had fun with the jokes and antics of the clown “Fosforito; who even carried a few exhausted superheroes across the finish line. The entire community was excited to see the littlest members of the family making a big difference for the most vulnerable, some of them accompanied by their furry friends, their pets.
The community had a blast during all the activities that took place at the local Artisanal Plaza. The event culminated with a celebration featuring a live concert with two local bands turning the activity into a cultural festival.
Race for Legacy made a huge impact on our beautiful city of Santa Rosa de Copan. The unique event piqued the interest of the entire community. It inspired people to join together to contribute to the Foundation, positioning us to be able to continue to care for vulnerable and abandoned children.
We are so grateful for the generosity and all the support that helped make the race possible, from government entities, police force, firefighters, and volunteers who all worked so hard to set up the event, to the companies that offered their services and made donations and last but not least the general public who came out in the hundreds to assure that the children who need it most would continue to find refuge at Legacy of Hope.
