Cure Champion: Fitness for charity
CURE Internationalis a faith-based nonprofit operating programs in 27 of the world’s poorest countries, focused on providing surgical care to children that have physical disabilities.
Matt Shandera runs marketing for CURE International and is excited about a new campaign called CURE Champion that aligns fitness and philanthropy.
“The CURE Champion campaign is CURE’s answer to fitness for charity. So, what we do is line you up with a team of fitness professionalsto help you make your goal, and fundraising professionals to help you raise awareness and funds for the children we serve.”
Adonis and his mom.
“We see a physical need for the kids we serve, and you have a physical goal for yourself, and you are now able to use that as a platform not only to better yourself, but to better the life of a child across the world who didn’t really have the chance to live a physically normal life,” Shandera says.
Courtney Yzzi is a CURE Champion from Philadelphia, who is training for her first triathlon this summer. Yzzi says about being a part of the campaign:
“You know, when I focus on others, that makes me happy. When I think about that, it motivates me and keeps me passionate and makes me want to run for these kids.”
In the video below, Shandera talks about meeting a special little boy named Adonis, who had a life-changing surgery through CURE.
Take a look at how CURE and its Champions are making a difference and transforming lives:
The neat thing about this campaign is that you are free to chooseanyfitness goal that you want, and then you workas a teamwith other Champions to reach an overall fundraising goal.
And, Shandera says that they’ve seen some astounding goals- everything from running an ultra marathon and climbing a mountain, to losing weight and just making commitments to stay active. “We wanted anyone to feel like they could be a Champion,” he says.
“The money that you raise as a CURE Champion goes directly towards paying for a surgery for one of the children in our hospitals,” Shandera explains.The surgeries that these kids have can be life-changing because without them, kids are often ostracized from their community and have no hope of living a normal life. “When you join Champion, you are able to pull a kid literally out of a life like that.”
Are you ready to be a Champion?
Visit http://cure.org/champion/ to see how you can get involved and make a difference.
Watch more videos about how surgeries are transforming the lives of kids around the globe.
