Photo: Martin Luther High School, Northrup, Minnesota
by Ella Bolen
Stop the Silence was a fundraising race put on by Corrie’s House. Corrie’s House is a non-profit Christ-centered house with refugee services, focusing on girls who have been sexually exploited. The inspiration for such a group comes from Corrie ten Boom, who was a woman who created and established, single-handedly, a Christian after-school program for girls. During WWII, Corrie and her family created a safe space for Jews to hide during Nazi inspection.
The race was offered as a 5K (3.1 miles) or a half marathon (13.1 miles). Ella Bolen and Emily Sokoloski ran the 13.1 miles, while Jade Kitzerow and Ms. Oerman did the 5K. The money raised will go to a restoration and rehabilitation center for women rescued from sex trafficking. The center will be Gospel-based and located in the Twin Cities. Their goal is to open in November 2021.
The race had participants from the United States (Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Hawaii, Alaska, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Illinois, Missouri, and California) and even from Slovakia. Impressive! The race raised $8,625. The program was well thought out. They even had a cross country and track coach give special training programs to help with the final 5K or 13.1 miles. They also gave participants a whole training schedule. It was just a recommendation, of course, but still helpful. They recommended a certain app to help track miles and time, and they invited participants to join their group on that app and on their Facebook page.
The Stop the Silence run was both fun and educational! There were podcasts on sex trafficking, and Corrie’s House sent participants homemade thank you letters with a t-shirt. This is the first year Corrie’s House put on the race, but they hope to make it an annual event. Next year, they would love to have you and your support!