Carol Stream Pastor Leads Run for a Life 5K Oct. 18
Anita Frederick, a Carol Stream pastor, is leading an effort to rescue babies in extreme need in Mozambique through Run for a Life. Run for a Life is a 5K and one-mile fun run to be held in Bierman Park in Carol Stream on October 18th.
One hundred percent of the net proceeds will go to the Tessa Grace Nutrition Center, in the Sofala region of Mozambique, to provide milk, food supplements and health checks for babies ages 0-2 who would otherwise die. Mothers too malnourished and sick to nurse their babies walk 5 kilometers . . . 10 kilometers . . . even farther to bring them to Tessa Grace. Run for a Life gives local residents the opportunity to participate in their journey through a 5K or one-mile run/walk.
"These babies would literally starve without our help," reports Frederick, "The moms have no other recourse." She recently returned from her fifth visit to Tessa Grace. "Every time I visit, hold the lively, squirming babies, and see the tears of hope and joy in the eyes of their mothers, I am so thankful for the privilege of making a life-giving difference in the lives of others."
Online registration for the 5K is $30 for those 16 and up, and $10 for youth ages 10-15. Ages 9 and under are free. Register at https://www.signmeup.com/101980. Race-day registration is available for an additional $5, starting at 8:30 on the day of the event.
Frederick's passion is clear when she speaks about the nutrition center in Mozambique. "I have met adults in Mozambique that ate tree roots during times of hunger. But what can they give babies who are not old enough for solids yet? The rice water they feed them only prolongs the starvation process."
"Since we started, more than 500 babies have been rescued," continues Frederick. "I am here to say that ordinary people can make a difference, rescue lives, and bring hope where there is none. It costs so little-mostly just saying YES."
Tessa Grace is a ministry of Children's Relief, International, a 501(c)(3) Christian organization. Frederick and her husband, Dave, are pastors at the DuPage Vineyard in Carol Stream.