Hello Friends,

Many of you have heard that I am celebrating my 30th birthday by swimming, biking and running in the Six Flags Triathlon. I also may have told you that I am hoping to use this opportunity to fundraise some money for a good cause.

Truth be told, between all my travels and weddings this year, I got a little behind on making this happen. Today, I finally opened up Crowdrise to start a fundraiser.. and magic! All the work is already done for me by the wonderful women who call themselves Runaway Bridesmaids and are running for a great cause on the day of my birthday. They already did all the work for me :) SIGN ME UP! (Okay, that part I actually had to do on my own.)

This is awesome in so many ways because:

1. I have read and loved their book "The Lost Girls". In so many ways their story was a lot like my own. If you haven't read it, pick it up! It's inspiring!

2. The day of their event coincides with the day of my triathlon event and my birthday.

3. This summer was a big, huge, larger than life, wedding season for me and my closest friends and I think that earns me automatic membership to any bridesmaid organization. (If I could only figure out how to do the triathlon in a bridesmaid dress!)

4. It is always more fun to be a part of something bigger than you. Knowing that there will be a hundred others joining me on Sept. 22 makes the trip so much better.

5. Most importantly, I really really love that they are raising money for New Light - an organization that works in a community that's been badly affected by sex trafficking of young children. I've read about this organization a lot in the past and I think it fully deserves my commitment.

Here is an article from one of my biggest heros, Nicholas. D. Kristof, about why this is important:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/opinion/02kristof.html

Read more about the organization and the cause from the Girls who started this fundraiser!

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Runaway Bridesmaids wrote -

A team of five of us are dubbing ourselves The Runaway Bridesmaids and doing the mother of all races, the ING New York City Marathon on November 3, 2012.

Why would anyone in their right mind choose to run 26.2 miles in a dress? Because we believe that—with your help—we make a positive difference. We are running to raise money to build a shelter for the kids of sex workers in India’s largest red light district through Village Volunteers, the organization that three of the Runaway Bridesmaids volunteered with in Kenya during a yearlong adventure  across the globe.

You can make a real impact to help break the cycle of sex trafficking in only thirty seconds! All you have to do is simply click and donate $26.2 to pledge your support for the 26.2 miles we’ll be running in bridesmaids dresses, and get us closer to our goal of building a shelter for kids in need.

Thank you in advance for supporting our adventures, and the women and children who are waiting for their shelter, for that place to call home.

Xoxo,

The Runaway Bridesmaids

PS We're also gathering 100 men and women to wear dresses and race The NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile Presented by Nissan on September 22. You can also show your support by running the mile with us: Register by clicking here, and typing "RAWB" into the "Team Name" box, and join our Crowdrise team to help us fundraise yourself.

PSS If you’re procrastinating at work or can’t find anything good on TV, you can check out our  Runaway Bridesmaids site for news and updates: http://www.lostgirlsworld.com/runawaybridesmaids/

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: 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).