Women Running from New York to Washington Raise Over $35,000 for Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood is one of the most important providers of healthcare services and education in the U.S., but it is the target of persistent efforts to de-fund, discredit, and eliminate it from politicians all over the country. A lot of people, particularly women, want to help keep its doors open, and they’re willing to donate time and money to make that happen. Since the November election, Planned Parenthood has received over $50,000 in donations in the name of vice-president-elect and anti-abortion crusader Mike Pence. Now a group of women runners has started the Run for All Women and raised over $35,000 for Planned Parenthood by planning to run from New York to Washington, D.C., in time for the inauguration.
According to The Cut’s Susan Rinkunas, runner Alison Mariella Desir and four of her friends initially planned to start running on Wednesday, January 18, and run all the way from New York to Washington. That’s 252 miles, and once there they’d participate in the Women’s March on Saturday morning. They thought some other women might want to join them, so they put out an invitation for more runners to come along, and they were stunned by the number of women who wanted to run 252 miles to protest at the inauguration and raise money for Planned Parenthood.
In fact, so many women contacted them and wanted to run that they had to break it down into a relay race, which means it’s even more achievable. (There are probably a lot of people who want to participate but cannot run 252 miles.) Now people in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland can sign up to join Desir and her friends for a four-mile stretch, instead of the whole 252 miles. (Desir and her friends are still running the whole thing.)
Desir’s Run For All Women has had a GoFundMe page for a week, and it’s already raised more than $35,000. People who want to support or participate in the run can donate or sign up for slots on the GoFundMe page, especially if you’re in Delaware or Maryland.
