March 23, 2012
Dear friends,
Marathon season for The Fregenet Foundation is here! Once again, our favorite LA marathon runners braved their fears and decided against the voices in their heads listing all of the reasons why such an effort was unnecessary. I\’m guessing those are the same voices that we all battle on a regular basis – it\’s a tired song that plays over and over in our minds where the lyrics tell us that we are too old, that what we do doesn\’t matter or is too small, or that the effort is too great and besides there just isn\’t enough time.
Tafesse Woubshet, Elizabeth Asrat, Asmeret Mebatsion, Workiye Mekonnen, Teresa Garcia, Alvin Fong, Renee Green, Frances Miyamoto, Wayne Jackson, Richard whiten, Maria Alonso, Galilea Cruz, Abraham Revollar, Daisy Martinez, Mary Felix, Helen Cobox and Fidencio Vivar of synergy Quantum Academy high school made and re-made their commitment day after day as the time got closer and the questions crowded in. We can take inspiration from them that they made certain a new mental song was playing on March 17 & 18 when they woke early and got ready to measure themselves against the 5K and the 26.2-mile test.
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On a day that thought about raining just as it did a year earlier, their songs were about children, about hope and possibility, about follow-through, and about not giving up on a young girl\’s dream even though she can no longer be here to see it realized.
Thankfully the rain held off, the bands played, the people cheered and the runners ran, and in this wonderful event, the indomitable Ethiopian women runners Fatuma Sado, Misikir Mekonnen and Yeshimebet Tadesse finished the marathon as 1st, 2nd & 3rd, consecutively. Fatuma Sado received a prize of $125K and a Honda automobile as her fellow Ethiopian Markos Genete did last year by winning the men\’s race.
At this point, all that is left is for those of us who pledged our support to write the check and send it. And for those of you who did not pledge, please consider making a donation today. There are lessons to be taught, mouths to be fed, minds to be nourished, and teachers to be paid. None of this can happen without a contribution from all of us. Please write your checks payable to The Fregenet Foundation and mail it to:
The Fregenet Foundation
901 South Flower Street, Unit 411
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Thank you so much.
The Fregenet Foundation