Runaway Bridesmaids wrote -

It all began when my two friends, Jen and Amanda, and I, Holly (a.k.a. "The Runaway Bridesmaids"), asked ourselves a question that many women have often pondered: What were we going to do with our old bridesmaid dresses that our married pals swore we could totally wear again?

Rather than let those expensive dresses collect dust in our closets, we decided to prove our bride friends right, and put them back to use for a good cause. Except the next time we wear them, we’ll be strapping on running shoes instead of heels to run in our dresses and raise money to help children of sex workers with the Runaway Bridesmaids Race. 

How You Can Help Fight Sex Trafficking:

1. Take 30 seconds to click on the "Donate" button and get us closer to our $150K goal of building a shelter for the vicitms of sex trafficking and children of sex workers.
2. Take less than 2 minutes and join our TEAM to help us fundraise for the cause, and YOU can change lives! Click here to find out how if you need help.
3. Run in a dress--or support the men and women who are crazy enough to slip into dresses and lace up running shoes for a good cause!! 

• First, we'll be gathering 100 men and women to wear dresses and race The NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile Presented by Nissan on September 22. If you donate to us, you'll help us get closer to opening another much-needed shelter for the kids of sex workers—many of whom have been trafficked— to help prevent another generation of under-age sex workers. You can also run the mile with us: Register by clicking here, and typing "Runaway Bridesmaids" into the "Team Name" box.

• Next, five of us will be going on to train for and run the ING New York City Marathon in dresses (that's 26.2 miles!) as Runaway Bridesmaids to continue fundraising for the cause!

Why You Should Care: Roughly three million women and girls worldwide are victims of this modern-day slave trade—and many die in their late 20s of AIDS. (In comparison, the peak year of the trans-Atlantic African slave trade was just under 80,000). Donations to Runaway Bridesmaids go to VILLAGE VOLUNTEERS' partner, New Light—which provides shelter, healthcare, education, and HOPE for the children of sex workers in India’s largest red light district. By taking a moment to pledge or to join our fundraising team, together we can begin to break the cycle of sexual slavery.

Raise Money, Do Good, Win Prizes

Win a Life-Changing Trip: While you may be interested in donating or joining our fundraising team because you’re a passionate person who realizes how important it is to give back, there’s something more in it for you: The person who collects the most pledges for Runaway Bridesmaids and New Light scores a trip to Peru’s Machu Picchu courtesy of Adventure Life, a company focused on sustainable travel. (Click Here for Official Rules). 

More fun prizes: Free books! The first 25 people who register with the Runaway Bridesmaids team for the NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile Presented by Nissan by clicking here, and who also raise at least $250 as part of our fundraising team on Crowdrise.com, gets a free autographed copy of The Lost Girls memoir at the race start.