wear blue: run to remember team completes 150 kilometers around mount rainier to raise money for gold star families
The 150 kilometer challenge aims to raise $150,000 and honors fallen military heroes
TYSONS, VA (September 3, 2024) — Lisa Hallett, co-founder of wear blue: run to remember, a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring fallen service members through purposeful steps every week in community runs, recently completed a 150 kilometers challenge along the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier, Washington. The challenge set a fundraising goal of raising $150,000 along Lisa’s 150 kilometers and has currently raised over $111,000 to create opportunities to honor and remember the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much.
You can help the wear blue community meet their goal and offer support for Gold Star and Surviving Families at the following link. The PenFed Foundation, a national 501(c)3 founded by PenFed Credit Union, provided a $25,000 matching grant to the 150K challenge in order to maximize the impact of every dollar raised in support of the military community.
After losing her husband in Afghanistan, Hallett turned to running to cope with her loss. Lisa found a community of other wives and families searching for support and wear blue: run to remember was born. In the years since, Lisa has built the group into the global organization it is today as an outlet for loved ones to honor those they have lost and as a way for every American to convey tangible gratitude to our service members.
“Throughout this run, I was reminded that even in the hard, all things are possible,” said Hallett. “And this possible is made true by the support of a community who gets it, our wear blue community.”
Funds raised for the 150K challenge will make a significant difference by:
Supporting Gold Star and Surviving Families through wear blue’s Gold Star Race Program, providing families with the resources and community they need to navigate their loss.
Sustaining Communities across the nation for a year, fostering camaraderie, wellness, and remembrance for our military families, veterans, and those who honor and grieve the loss of our fallen heroes.
Learn more about how you can get involved here.
About PenFed Foundation
Founded in 2001, The PenFed Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that supports veterans in their transition from service to success. Affiliated with PenFed Credit Union, the Foundation has provided more than $55 million in financial support to veterans, active-duty service members and military families. PenFed Credit Union covers the salaries and administrative costs of The PenFed Foundation, so more of your donation goes right to our programs. To learn more, please visit www.penfedfoundation.org.
About wear blue: run to remember
wear blue: run to remember was founded following the redeployment of 5-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, a unit that, while deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, sustained a significant amount of combat losses and casualties. During that deployment, a small group of 5-2 wives and battalion support staff met weekly to run, seeking to create a support network for one another during this challenging and heartbreaking deployment. When the brigade returned, two of those Army wives and avid runners, Lisa Hallett and Erin O’Connor, turned this small group into a nationwide vision that now helps thousands heal from and work through the more challenging aspects of military life during a time of war. Lisa’s husband, CPT John Hallett, was one of four soldiers killed in that unit on August 25, 2009, while returning from a goodwill mission in Southern Afghanistan.
