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Come Support Runners for Burma at this Sunday SF Marathon (July 25)
Funds are to support Internally displaced refugees in Burma

20,000 runners will be participating in the San Francisco Marathon (26 miles) this Sunday and many of them are to promote various causes.

This year again, BADA is helping the Burma Humanitarian Mission (BHM) in organizing the Run For Burma program as part of the San Francisco Marathon for awareness and fundraiser for internally displaced Refugees in Burma. BADA members, supporters and teens,  20 out of 31 runners in the Run for Burma team, will be running representing BADA that day. Many teens are joining this year fund raising effort. Three are running half marathon and the rest are doing 5K (3 miles) group run/walk with a Free Burma banner to raise awareness. 

1. Come visit and meet with the runners for Burma at the Burma booth at the race start/finish line --- near Embarcadero and Mission St. (Just north of Bay Bridge). The Burma booth will be open from 7:00 am until 1:30 pm that Sunday. So, come by as your schedule permits.

2. You can cheer them and, here is the race map and the start times for the all races.

3.  We are organizing a 5k (3.1 miles) run/walk with a Free Burma Banner to raise awareness about Burma. All 5K runners to gather at Burma booth at 7 am and proceed to raise starting point ( close by ) and start the race at 7:45 am and end at 9:00 am (the latest).

You can still join the 5k Group run/walk. The cost to register is $30.

-- You can register here: http://www.thesfmarathon.com/the-race/registration.php
-- In additional Item: select  "Run for Charity"
-- In Team look up, look for Burma Humanitarian Mission, i.e. team #16
-- When enter How do you hear? please enter "BADA"

4. Donate below to support BADA runners; funds are to help internally displaced people inside Burma:

Han Yin
Zin Htike
Thunuder Aung
Pwintphyu Nanda
Pam San
Samantha Thaw
Thazin Naing

Jessice Yeh
Jennifer Yeh 
Suu Than
Michael Than

Khin Htwe
Danielle Forestier
Ohmar Khine
San Lin
Nay Lin
Maung Tun
Htwe Win

Come raise awareness and funds for Burma!
Run for Burma on July 25 at SF Marathon
 

This July 25th, Burma Humanitarian Mission (BHM) and BADA will participate in the San Francisco Marathon Event.  The Event includes a 5k run/walk, a progressive marathon, a half marathon and a full marathon.  BHM is an all volunteer non-profit dedicated to providing medicine and helping to train backpack medics.  The medic teams hike into eastern Burma and provide emergency trauma care and community health service to the isolated villages and internally displaced people whom the Burmese junta has chased from their homes. 
 
To help raise awareness and raise funds for the backpack medics, BHM and BADA have formed an official charity team in the San Fran Marathon event.  The event includes:
 
- a full marathon
- half marathon
- progressive marathon (where you run or walk 23.1 miles prior to July 25th and run the last 3.1 miles on July 25th)
- a 5k run/walk (Group run with Free Burma Banner will be one option!!!)
 
There's something for everyone!

Here is how BADA could help you,
 
If you need help with registration fees, you could ask for help form BADA and we may cover half of your registration fees if approved. Please email: badaonline@gmail.com or Contact Anil Verma 510 475 3751. We look forward to promoting Burma Cause at the event such as waling with a Free Burma Banner. There may also be volunteering opportunity. So, please mark your calendar. 

So you know, here's a short description of what BHM will do to help you:

1. BHM will provide you with a training guide tailored for the event you wish to do.

2.  BHM will provide you
A Run for Burma team T-shirt (if you commit to raise $200 or more)
A free Brooks running jacket if you raise $1,000 or more
Weekly training newsletters
A fundraising website and a host of support
3. If you run/walk for free! If you raise $250 or more, the Event will refund your entry fee!

4. Fundraising help. BHM has a number of strategies that have worked well and will share them with you. The primary one that has worked well is asking friends, family and associates to sponsor you for $1, $2, $3, $4, $5 a mile...or a set donation of $10, $20, $50 or more for the event you run.  They will provide you a draft letter/email as well as a card that explains about Burma Humanitarian Mission and why what they do is important.

Asking for money for a charity takes a slice of humility. It's never easy. But last year, BHM runners were gently pleased with the response. Whether someone donated or not...every runner was seen in a positive light...of doing something (morally) good...for others in a desparate condition.  

So you know: 100% of the individual funds you raise go to the BHM mission or BADA. BHM Board members pay for all operating, transportation and other costs out of our pocket.  The distance you will run...and the sponsors you bring to the effort...will save lives that day.

Background on BHM and why what they do is important

Burma Humanitarian Mission is an all volunteer organization that provides medicine and helps train the backpack medics who operate in eastern Burma to help the Karen and other ethnic minorities suffering the brutality of the SPDC.  If you have not seen their website, please visit it (http://www.burmamission.org/). There's lots of good information on it. But in summary, what BHM does is important because they are appauled by what the Burmese junta has done to the Karen in eastern Burma and decided to act in a positive, non-violent manner.

For the past 4 decades, the junta has waged a war against the Karen. In the last decade, more than 3,200 villages have been destroyed. Half a million Karen are on the run in eastern Burma. Men and boys are shot randomly. Women and girls are raped as a form of intimidation. Crops are burnt in the fields. Thousands are forced to serve as labors, carrying supplies. Many forced labors are used to clear minefields by walking through them. As a result of these conditions, 1 in 5 Karen children die before the age of 5. 1 in 12 Karen mothers dies as a result of childbirth. Malaria is the leading killer and 12% of the population suffers from it at any given time.

To mitigate this suffering, BHM acts. They facilitate training ethnic Karen to serve as backpack medics and outfit them with medicines. This past year, BHM was responsible for training 40% of all new backpack medics. They also outfited each medic team with ~40,000 doses of medicine for a year's work in Burma. Each year, they buy roughly half a million doses of medicine. Each $1 you raise will buy ~40 doses of medicine (yes, you read that right).  $5 will buy the anti-malarial treatment for a pregnant woman, saving 2 lives.  

If you wish to share all or parts of this email with others, please do. If you know someone who wants to run the 5k, half marathon, progressive marathon or the full marathon, they would be welcomed to join the team!.  

Come out and join us for a fun, but important way to show support for the peoples of Burma!

If you would like to know more or want to sign up...please contact the Run for Burma team captain, Mike, at sfm@burmamission.org or 571.216.9885