Gang Violence Motivates Champion Ultra Runner To Take Action
10th Badwater Ultra Marathon in support of a crime prevention program that works. Radich is fund raising for The Way to Happiness Foundation, www.twth.org, a non-profit group headquartered in Glendale, California that for over 25 years has helped youth live better lives.
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (1888PressRelease) July 12, 2011 - In response to a recent U.S. Department of Justice study which found gangs and gang violence on the rise at the same time that prevention and intervention programs are falling off with budget cuts from states to localities, three time 6 Day Arizona Race Champion and elite ultra marathon runner, John Radich has decided to take action in the best way that he knows how.
John will be running in his 10th Badwater Ultra Marathon in support of a crime prevention program that works. Radich is fund raising for The Way to Happiness Foundation www.twth.org, a non-profit group headquartered in Glendale, California that for over 25 years has helped youth live better lives by choosing a life away from drugs, gangs, bullying and violence and has lowered violence and crime wherever their flagship booklet called "The Way to Happiness" has been widely distributed.
Billed as "one of the toughest footraces on earth", Radich will be racing a distance of 135 miles, across Death Valley, California starting on July 11th -13th with temperatures over 125 degrees and through some of the harshest environments on the planet. He will have a 48 hour time limit to complete the race and is one of only 80 top ultra runners who have been internationally selected and invited to compete in this ultimate running event.
Why does he run? According to John, "Los Angeles is informally known as the 'Gang Capital of the Nation'. Back in 2004, I read a statistic that 14% of Los Angeles county residents who died in gun violence were 18 years old or younger. The National Gang Center conducts an annual survey which found that as recently as 2009, one-half of homicides in Los Angeles and one-third of homicides in Chicago were gang related, and about a quarter of all homicides in other large cities were gang related. That's why I decided to start running in support of The Way To Happiness Foundation."
John agrees with Laurie O. Robinson, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, who says "while overall violent crime rates may be down, one thing is clear: gang violence remains a threat to public safety in this country's major urban areas. The challenge is to find the most effective means to combat gang crime."
"I believe The Way To Happiness Foundation has an effective means to combat gang violence and crime", John said.
For media inquiries, please contact the President of The Way To Happiness Foundation Caralyn Percy at (818) 254-0600.
For more information, go to www.twth.org.
About The Way To Happiness Foundation
Since 1984, the nonprofit Way To Happines Foundation has been a trusted authority on the subject of gang violence, crime prevention and character building. Trust, honesty and respect are some of the attributes that most people would like to see more often in people they live and work with. "The Way to Happiness", a code of conduct consisting of twenty-one common sense principles for better living, consistently and successfully demonstrates its effectiveness in helping bring about crime reduction and happier lives.
Contact:
Caralyn Percy
twthpres ( @ ) gmail dot com
818-254-0600
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