Help Kory raise money

Thank you for visiting my page! I have been hosting the Columbus Aruna Run for Freedom for 8 years and I am excited to kick off this year's run. 

I want to share my heart behind why it is so important to me to host this event year in and year out. When I was growing up, I experienced the evils of racism first hand. Whether it was being called the ‘N’ word, being excluded from certain circles, being closely observed while walking into convenience stores, or being counted out by some of my educators, it was quite clear that something was different about me. 

When I first learned of Dr. King I was inspired. Inspired by the reality that he did not cower in the face of strong opposition, rather, he rose to the challenge of fighting for equal rights for people who looked like me. Then I learned of President Lincoln and how he fought to free people who looked like me from slavery. This gave me great pride in myself and our Nation thinking that slavery had ended despite me still experiencing the racist history of our country's past. 

That is until I heard about the Aruna Project back in 2012. 

Up until then I thought slavery  had been dealt with. Learning that millions of women and children were and are currently enslaved enraged my soul. I had never ran a 5k up to that point, but I could not sit by and do nothing, so I ran in my first Aruna 5k in Cincinnati in 2012. 

Moved by this organization I decided to run again the following year. As a senior in college ready to graduate I faced a growing conviction in my soul. I was moved by my participation, but challenged to do something more. 

I remember learning about Harriet Tubman and how she escaped freedom, but that wasn't enough. She went back and rescued more through the Underground Railroad. In all of her efforts she never lost an enslaved person! I wanted to be like Harriet Tubman and take a lamppost running through the dark of night to free enslaved women from this unholy bondage. I wanted to stand up and speak, like Dr. King shouting, “I too have a dream, when no woman or child has to live in fear of being exploited or sold for sex.” 

So, I contacted Aruna and applied to host the first Aruna 5k back in 2015 here in Columbus and eight years later I am still grabbing my lamppost and running into the dark of night to rescue more women and children.

Together we can rescue one more!