The industrious Ellen Clark, who every year organizes the Run for Zimbabwe Orphans at St. Joseph School in Mountain View, is gearing up for another such event, all proceeds of which go to an orphanage in Zimbabwe.
Clark, her family, and the nonprofit Sustainable Living Foundation have been working on the event for seven years straight, and in that time it has grown to include the Zimbabwean Fair, which will be held at the school concurrently and includes food, music and activities. The Run and Fair will take place on March 26.
This newly established Mountain View tradition began when Clark’s son volunteered to work in Zimbabwe in 1997. When his family visited, they were shocked at the conditions, but loved the culture and people of the Shona tribe. A Time magazine cover that asked, “This Is Africa, Do You Care?” motivated Ellen Clark to do something about the poverty and strife she had seen. She told herself, “I don’t know anything about anything, but I know how to run and how to run a race.”
Seven years later, the Run continues to gain support. It is composed of a series of a series of cross-country races, each one geared toward a specific age group, from pre-school aged children through adults.
The race begins with three dedications, including one for Kate Wakerly, the late founder and editor of the Voice, who also helped found the Sustainable Living Foundation. Clark, a friend of Wakerly, recalls that she “really encouraged me to keep the humor. You can get so tied-up and serious.”
Clark said she believes in a “two-way philanthropy” of giving and receiving. Donating money is great, she said, but giving and receiving “enables the orphans to feel like they have something to offer.”
Culture, dance, live music by a band called Sadza, food, and Shona art will be showcased among twelve booths at the fair. The Bridge for Africa booth will feature African-made baskets, and the new From Our Feet booth will accept donations of old or worn-out shoes. The Zim Dress booth will challenge people to carry items on their heads like African women.
“The bottom line is it should be really fun,” Clark said.
Last year, the event raised $17,000, enabling the Sustainable Living Foundation to support 48 of the 85 orphans in the Makumbi Children’s Home in Zimbabwe. The cost to house, feed, and clothe a child is approximately $350 yearly.
One of the achievements Clark is most proud of is raising funds to develop the orphanage’s garden, which is kept up, along with livestock, by the children there.
“It’s necessary because they use it for sustenance,” Clark said. “All through Zimbabwe, getting the most basic of needs is impossible.”
INFORMATION:
What: The Run for Zimbabwe Orphans and Zimbabwean Fair
When: Sunday, March 26, from noon to 4 p.m.
Where: St. Joseph School, 1120 Miramonte Ave., Mountain View.
Cost: The entry fee to run is $5. Runners may register online at www.zimbabweparaguay.org. For the week leading up to the event, T-shirts will be sold at St. Joseph School for $10. Monetary donations are welcomed, as are volunteer services, sponsors and ambassadors.
Info: E-mail zpclarks@sbcglobal.net or call (650) 941-9206.
