Events

Between Friends’ First Annual Marathon and Half Marathon Team

1 in 4 women is likely to be abused by a partner in her lifetime.

Injuries sustained from domestic violence account for 25-35% of visits to emergency rooms annually, the single most frequent reason why women seek attention at hospital emergency departments.

It is estimated that domestic violence costs employers $3 to $5 billion annually in lost days of work and lower productivity.

So Ending Domestic Violence is a Marathon Effort!

Join in that effort by running the Bank of America Chicago Marathon or the Chicago Half Marathon on behalf of Between Friends. Run 26.2 miles on October 10, 2010 or 13.1 miles on September 12, 2010 while raising money to empower women and teens who are experiencing abuse. .

Aside from the intangible benefits of helping families through abusive relationships, you’ll receive the following benefits as a runner for Between Friends:

1. Free technical shirt
2. Free Race Day Goody Bag
3. Free seminars to enhance running performance
4. Free monthly e-newsletter filled with running tips
5. Prizes for the runners who raise the most money
6. Regular fun runs and bar nights
7. Opportunity to train with CARA

Sign up today! Space is limited! The Chicago Marathon will sell out quickly!

If you want to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon for Between Friends, please do the following immediately:

1. Sign up for the Chicago Marathon at www.chicagomarathon.com and mention Between Friends when it asks if you are running for a charity, and
2. Sign up for the Chicago Half Marathon at www.chicagohalfmarathon.com/ and mention Between Friends when it asks if you are running for a charity, and
3. Contact Amanda at Between Friends (aespitia@betweenfriendschicago.org or 773-274-5232 ext. 16).

Run for families affected by domestic violence, so they don’t have to.

The women and children who seek support at Between Friends need you. With your commitment to raise money through the Chicago Marathon, you can empower more women today. You can run for families like Ellen’s so they don’t have to.

Please read Ellen’s story of survival. Her resilience and courage is inspiring.

Ellen was fearful and panicked after she received a text message from her abusive husband that said “You should say goodbye to the children”. That same day she received a phone call from her daughter’s school reporting that she was being pulled out early from school for the day. After calling 911, the police advised Ellen that they were unable to do anything until she had an Order of Protection. Immediately, Ellen came to Between Friends and worked with our Court Advocate to secure an Emergency Order of Protection so that her husband would be charged with child abduction if he took their children.

With the Emergency Order of Protection in hand, our Court Advocate accompanied Ellen to the sheriff’s office where she and the sheriff left to serve the abuser with the paperwork. The next day, Ellen called our Court Advocate to let her know that they found her husband as he was in the process of leaving the state with their children and were able to prevent that. Ellen was overwhelmed with relief to know that her children were safe, and now she is working on filing for a divorce.