Freedom 4/24 holds ‘Kids Fun Run’ and ‘Run 4 Their Lives’ races on campus

Freedom 4/24, an anti-human trafficking campaign in Lynchburg, Virginia, recognizes the needs and fears of women around Liberty, Lynchburg and the world. 

Because of its passion for the safety of the community and women across the globe, the organization held the “Kids Fun Run” 1-miler on April 21 and the “Run 4 Their Lives” 5k race in-person and virtually on April 22 at the Liberty Indoor
Track Complex.

Freedom 4/24’s goal is to mobilize individuals and communities to bring awareness to and prevention of human trafficking around the world. The mission from the leadership of Freedom 4/24 is to bring justice to survivors, aid those still involved in trafficking and prevent it from happening to anyone else. 

The “Kids Fun Run” took place at 7 p.m. April 21 with a Family Fun Night from 5-8 p.m. The race included a prevention education interactive station, a free fitness course, children’s cross-fit training, bounce houses and other athletic opportunities for children. There was a video game trailer from Glitched gaming with five TV screens playing different video games and a DJ for music throughout the event. Black Pit Barbecue, Rookie’s and Domino’s pizza had food trucks open at the event.

More than 30 children, ages 12 and under, participated in the race for the cause of funding Freedom 4/24. The funds from both “Run 4 Their Lives” and the “Kids Fun Run” went to Freedom 4/24’s prevention education upcoming program and to their partners around the world. Part of the funds raised will go specifically to their partner, Home of New Beginnings, which is based in Bangkok, Thailand. 

More than 200 runners raced in the “Run 4 Their Lives” event on Saturday at the in-person event. Body scribes wrote names of people to remember or honor in prayer on the arms of those who were running.  Many participants wrote down their children or their sisters; one runner’s arm simply
said, “everyone.”

A father of a Liberty student, Cody Mummau, volunteered at the event, hoping to serve the local community.

“I believe in doing things that are bigger than yourself,” Mummau said. “(I) have a missions team that is heading out to Guatemala this summer, and we decided that before we go out on the missions field to serve, we want to serve in our own community. We got (our team) together this morning to serve and spread them out. Their role was to encourage runners the whole time.”

Event coordinator Lauren McQuillan talked about the importance of these fundraising events and how crucial they are to keeping organizations like Freedom 4/24 and Home of New Beginnings running. McQuillan said the work that they and all their partners do is ongoing. She mentioned how while they can’t save everyone, they will never stop fighting.

“It’s like the starfish principle, right? The man on the beach with all the starfish littered across the whole shore,” McQuillan said. “You can pick up a starfish and you can throw it back in the ocean. You probably will not get to all of them. For that one starfish, you can make a difference every time.” 

To learn more about Freedom 4/24, how to earn CSER with the organization and about future events, visit
www.freedom424.org.

Lechner is the social media and web manager for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on Twitter