On August 20th United Hatzalah of Israel conducted its Fourth Annual Race To Save Lives, a multi-city 5K aimed at raising awareness and funds for the organization’s life-saving EMS network in Israel. This year, the race took place in New York, Toronto, Miami, Los Angeles, and Tel Aviv and raised money in support of first responders in Israel who work tirelessly to save lives day and night.
“I am so proud of our (30+) runners, a mix of Young Leadership board members, supporters, friends, and family who spent a Sunday morning running to raise awareness for this incredible cause,” commented Michelle Namdar, United Hatzalah’s Young Leadership Director. “By coming together to participate in this multi-city event, our runners are helping lead the charge to save lives in Israel. We are so lucky to have such devoted supporters across the U.S. and Canada.
Together the runners raised over $174K that will be used to purchase vehicles and medical equipment in order to cut down on response times improve the level of emergency medical care in Israel, and allow our amazing volunteers to continue their lifesaving work.”
Donors pledged funds toward direct resources such as defibrillators, bulletproof vests, as well other medical supplies. The event was comprised of more than 160 runners and hundreds of donors who supported them and the organization. Becky Castle, one of the runners from the Los Angeles team commented on why she decided to participate, “I’ve been involved with UH since 2018 and recently joined the Young Leadership board in LA. I’ve loved running since I was in High School and I even wrote my college admission essay about running. My goal for this race was to raise $9,000.” The American teams ran in Holmby Park in Los Angeles, Central Park in New York, and Drexel Ave in Miami.
“Thank you to all the runners who helped us raise money this Sunday,” said Rivky Meyer, Florida Regional Development Officer. “Spending your Sunday morning helping us achieve our mission to save more lives in Israel is an incredibly special gesture, and we are thankful for your support. I was inspired by such a great group of participants in Miami this weekend, and I was amazed by the generosity of all those who ran. I look forward to increasing upon our success together with you all during next year’s run.”
