#crowdrise

"Run? Across...Haiti?"

*record scratch, freeze frame*

Yep, that's me. You're probably wondering how I got into this situation...

Before January 2018, I thought that the only kind of people who ran distances over 13 miles at a time were crazy. The good kind of crazy though, where only they could do it and I was left to just respect the process and not asking too many questions. Now that I'm one marathon and one ultra-marathon deep into my running journey, I'm proud to say that I, too, am a little bit crazy.

I run y'all, like really run, a lot and really far. I don't know who I am anymore but what I do know is that the power of running is bigger than me. Over the last two years, I've shared the ups and downs of my running journey along with my mission to take up space in running communities. Now I am taking on 200 miles over 8 days with WORK to end poverty through dignified jobs in Haiti.

So I'll handle the running part as we, you and I, take on the hard part: fundraising and creating awareness.  You can support my campaign by making a financial donation to this page. Part of my duty as the runner is to spread the word, as much as I can, so your help in sharing this page with your own networks would be extremely helpful.

I’ve partnered with a corporation for support so please message me if you’d like to have your contribution matched and doubled! 

If you'd like to follow along or connect with me personally about the Run Across Haiti, you can email me at [email protected] or follow me on Instagram @mariahdyson.

“When you’re young, you just run...” ✨ 🏃🏼‍♀️

Hey everyone! I’m new here and haven’t done an introduction post, so I thought I’d introduce myself and my marathon at once 💕 My name is Ray, I live in Brooklyn, NYC, and I’ve been a Swiftie alongside my mom since 2006. I’m a Debut and Rep stan, and I own the song So It Goes 🖤 I love to read and write, I’m queer (they/them pronouns pls!) and I’m a 5th grade special education English teacher.

That’s where the marathon comes in!

Earlier this year for my 23rd birthday, I committed to something I’ve been talking about doing since I was a teenager: running a marathon. And not just any marathon, the TCS New York City marathon, which is the largest race in the world! I’ve loved running for as long as I can remember, and my running playlist is FULL of Taylor songs, which always push me to keep going just a little more. Taylor has been a crucial part of my training process so far, so it seemed appropriate to turn to Swifties for the remaining help I need.

Part of my commitment by signing up for this race is to raise $3,000 for Success Academy Charter Schools (the network where I teach). The money will go directly to programs that serve NYC youth who have been failed by a crumbling and systemically racist public school system. The link below will take you to a CrowdRise page where you can donate. I’m immeasurably grateful for help of any amount, even if that’s just reblogging this link to help me spread the word. I’m also happy to answer any questions about the race or Success Academy.

And, of course, don’t forget to stream Lover 8.23 ✨💕🦋🏹🌈

Join Tom on set of Spider-Man: Far From Home, he does all of his own stunts!

Each year, our scavenger hunt rallies to "Change A Life", making a profound difference in the lives of people or communities facing extraordinary hardship. Since the Vietnam war, over 20,000 people in Laos have been injured or killed by unexploded bombs and landmines - over 8,000 of those being children. These explosives lie dormant in fields and some rural areas. Often, a farmer will accidentally strike one, or a child will think it's a ball and pick it up.

This year, GISH is teaming up with Random Acts (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) and our GISH Ambassador, photographer Giles Duley, to help change the lives of Laotian children and families in what is our most ambitious Change A Life to date in two ways:

1. Continue our ongoing efforts to clear unexploded bombs from farmlands. We have already helped make hundreds of acres safe already for the children and families of Laos.

ATTN: ALL LUCY LIU FANS

A fundraiser for UNICEF has been created in honor of our queen’s 50th birthday, which is coming up THIS Sunday, December 2nd, 2018. Please click through and donate -- even a dollar will make a difference. And please share far and wide.

Here’s a handy-dandy direct link: http://bit.ly/LL50UNICEF

If we reach our goal, I promise to share something good -- I have an Elementary Season 7 spoiler I’ve been sitting on. 

And here’s a bonus, rarely seen pic of LL in Peru for UNICEF as a thank you. 😀

As many people of the U.S. World of Warcraft Roleplaying Community are aware of: the Tournament of Ages is an annual event that draws hundreds in its attractions and has even been covered by Forbes.com.

Our biggest achievement, however, is our community’s generation towards charity. In 2016, we generated $1,000 for Make-A-Wish and hit the same landmark in 2017 with the United Service Organizations. For 2018, we hope to hit the same goal with Direct Relief.

One of the initiatives we’re undertaking to reach this goal is a Charity Art Auction occurring over the Discord platform on August 5th, 8:00 U.S. Central Standard Time. All information and needed forms related to this auction can be found in this google document. Here is some pertinent information found within:

We are looking for artists.

The cut-off for artist sign-ups is July 27th

You can specify types of art you will not draw.

You are entitled to your chosen base price, all funds beyond that are expected for our Direct Relief fund.

There are barriers present within the rules outlined in the document above to value the Artist’s comfort and business above all.

NSFW work is disallowed and may not be requested.

Here is the link to the Tournament of Ages Discord which covers this art auction and our other initiatives. including not but limited to, Twitch streamed tournaments of World of Warcraft P.V.P., Hearthstone, and Warcraft 3.

If you are an artist that would like to participate, your submission form is in the Google Document linked above and here. If you are a client that would like to purchase services from this Art Auction, see you in our Discord on the scheduled day. Please remember there are rules on the client’s part as well.

Please feel free to donate and signal-boost even if you are not participating in this Art Auction on either side. All forms of community engagement are valuable.