Spokane Native Runs Boston Marathon, Guesses Finish Time Almost to the Second and Raises a total of $2,035 to help improve the lives of poverty-stricken Guatemalan children
Spokane, WA, June 29, 2011 – With the 6th highest rate of malnutrition in the world, Guatemala is one of the poorest countries in Latin America. The situation is even worse in the rural, indigenous areas where the average family barely survives through coffee-farming and lives on less than $2 per day.
With helping these disadvantaged communities in mind, Rob Cameron, a Boston Marathon runner, entered Razoo’s “Guess Your Finish Time” contest immediately before the race. The contest offered to match $1,000 in donations to the charity of choice for the Boston Marathon runner who guessed the closest to his/her finish time before starting the race.
Deciding to challenge himself, Cameron guessed a time of 2:58:46 before the race. His actual finish time of 2:58:45 was only one second off. When Cameron learned that he won the contest, he knew right away that he wanted to raise money for education in Guatemala by supporting Spokane-based Roots & Wings International (RWI) (http://www.rootsandwingsintl.org). The non-profit is focused on promoting economic development in rural Guatemala by providing educational opportunities and access to technology.
Cameron and the founder of RWI, Erik Swanson, grew up together in Spokane, and have been best friends since before they could talk. They met each other as infants in their preschool program, graduated from Gonzaga Preparatory School together 17 years later and have maintained a close friendship for nearly 30 years. When asked about Razoo’s competition, Cameron says “I have always supported Erik’s efforts with Roots & Wings and was excited to help raise money to promote education in Guatemala.” Cameron’s efforts raised $2,035 through the Razoo’s contest.
To help the youth from rural Guatemala work towards the development of their native communities, RWI has developed three different programs – University Scholarships, Computer Literacy and After-School Tutoring. So far, thanks to donations and the support of volunteers, RWI has provided educational resources and more than 30 university scholarships to youth in need from indigenous Guatemala, where the population suffers from up to 70% illiteracy. The donation from Cameron will be used to help advance these programs focused on helping the community propel economic development on their own through education.
About Roots & Wings International (RWI)
RWI was created in 2004 by Erik Swanson, a business attorney at Immix Law Group PC, then the director of a high school in rural Guatemala. The mission was to improve the lives of Guatemala’s indigenous population through education, training and technology. RWI has several donation programs including monthly contributions, making a one-time donation, naming a scholarship, corporate gift matching, buying Guatemalan-made coffee, shopping at Amazon for the cause, volunteering with skills and time and starting a fundraiser. Thanks to the support of individuals and corporate sponsors, RWI has been able to develop three different programs – University Scholarships, Computer Literacy and After-School Tutoring – to help the students from rural Guatemala work towards the development of their native communities. To learn more, visit http://www.rootsandwingsintl.org.
About Razoo
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Razoo (razoo.com) provides online fundraising tools to groups and individuals and launched its giving platform in November 2008. CEO Brian Fujito leads a team of 20 employees, with a mission to revolutionize philanthropy by helping donors experience the joy of giving and by making it easier and more efficient for non-profits to tell their stories and raise money.
Media Contact:
Vanina Sloan, Public Relations Manager
Roots & Wings International
www.rootsandwingsintl.org
vanina@rootsandwingsintl.org
Phone: 503-564-8831
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