running for it
Brooke Sydnor Curran — Recognizing an Urgent Need in Alexandria
One day in May 2009, Brooke Sydnor Curran watched a young mother in Arlandria struggle with a stroller, young children and grocery bags. She decided in that moment she could no longer be a witness to the struggles of at-risk families in Alexandria. She needed to become part of the solution.
This epiphany resulted in the creation of RunningBrooke, which has raised and granted nearly $300,000 in just five years to help ensure Alexandria’s at-risk young people receive the support they need to thrive in school and in life. RunningBrooke’s mission is rooted in a deep commitment to supporting those in need and inspiring others to support innovative programs and services that help at-risk young people and their families.
Since 2009, RunningBrooke has reached over 2,000 Alexandria children in need and is on track to raise $1million by 2016 to provide services and support to even more children in the community. So far, RunningBrooke has made grants to 23 Alexandria nonprofits.
Transforming a Personal Passion to a Life’s Purpose
Curran, a mother of three girls, is a serious and competitive runner. After she became determined to make a bigger difference in her community through RunningBrooke, she realized she could turn her personal passion into a life’s purpose.
Curran also realized that to truly have an impact, the funds she raised would need to achieve meaningful results. She was tenacious in her research, learning from experts, parents, community leaders and others about where the needs are and how her efforts could do the most good for Alexandria’s children. For example, Curran discovered:
44.5% percent of Alexandria’s 2-to-5 year olds are obese or overweight
30% of Alexandria’s 3rd graders do NOT pass reading SOL’s and are at-risk for dropping out of school
A high school dropout is more likely to enter the social system; each will cost taxpayers $258,000 and impose a social burden of $755,900 over their lifetimes.
This startling data led RunningBrooke to devote its work to ensuring that all young children in Alexandria, no matter their background or circumstances, come to school healthy and ready to succeed.
Going the Distance for Alexandria’s At-Risk Children
Curran believed running for a cause could be a way of spurring community action. Her initial goal was to run a marathon in each continent, each state and the five world marathon majors.
In fall 2014, she achieved her goal, completing 80 marathons all over the world. So far, RunningBrooke has raised over $300,000. Those funds have helped support innovative programs and services designed to reach at-risk children, including:
Working directly with the City of Alexandria to totally overhaul the Hume Springs Playground in Arlandria (where the highest number of 5 year olds live)
Funding kindergarten literacy tutoring programs at John Adams Elementary School
Donating 1,875 new books to children in shelters and transitional housing which resulted in 99% of parents spending more time reading with their children.
Enabling 55 kids to attend free, bilingual preschool
Rehabbing 4 City of Alexandria school playgrounds
Funding home visits for 9 families to promote early literacy and prevent child abuse
Inspiring Others to Join the Effort
While RunningBrooke is encouraged by its progress, they are not stopping there. There is still much to be done. That’s why Curran is setting her sights event higher. She has another ambitious goal – to raise and donate total of $1,000,000 by 2016. That means raising an average of $200,000 each year through 2016. Curran continues to run a marathon a month to help RunningBrooke achieve this goal. In November 2014, she completed her first Ironman (a consecutively executed 2.4 mile open water swim, 112 mile bike ride, 26.2 mile run). She will continue to run a marathon a month until she reaches 100 marathons, and probably won’t stop there.
“Running is easy compared with the struggles many of our neighbors and children have every day trying to make ends meet,” Curran says. “The training and the races provide inspiration and momentum for me – and hopefully others – in the community to take some action on behalf of at-risk families, whether it is to run a race and fundraise or to simply make a contribution to a worthy cause like RunningBrooke.”
As the Founder, Executive Director and CEO of RunningBrooke, Curran does not pay herself. She spends 21-25 hours per week training and pays for all of her race fees and travel expenses. RunningBrooke has one part-time employee. Please visit runningbrooke.org to learn more.
Brooke’s Look …
Brooke is wearing a fun and flirty look, styled from the clothing and jewelry available at Coco Blanca. The midnight metallic leather zip jacket was practically calling Brooke’s name and looked absolutely stunning with the dramatic Isabella Hematite necklace and her piercing blue eyes. She’s also wearing a pair of gold 2-hoop earrings, baroque gold ring with moonstone, and a 24k gold-plate sporty lion ring. It is obvious that Brooke is a runner and takes great care of her body, and we love how these dark blue skinny jeans show off her strong and sexy legs. The crushed v-blouse adds a hint of shimmer to the look and shows off Brooke’s sculpted and defined arms when she takes the jacket off. The black and blue Esme pumps by Aerin Lauder (available at The Shoe Hive) are a bit different than the running shoes she is usually training in, but they give this playful outfit a polished look, pulling it all together perfectly. Brooke is vibrant and fun and we think her outfit respectfully portrays her vivacious personality, while showing off her incredibly toned athletic figure.
