The Mission Viejo News
The Only Weekly Newspaper Exclusively for All of Mission Viejo
February 11, 2022
Society Scene
by Kelly Bennett

Uniform for Hope Joins Oso Fit for 5K Fun Run

How about a day outside with your family? Getting some fresh air and participating in a community event geared towards health? Of course! Count me in - especially when the proceeds benefit non-profits in the area. Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 26, (2022), for the Oso Fit 5K Fun Run and Community Health Fair at the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center in Mission Viejo. The City of Mission Viejo and the Mission Viejo Chamber of Commerce co-sponsor this community event where the 5K Fun Run starts at 8:30 am and takes place along the beautiful Oso Creek Trail. A kids run is also planned and sponsored by the local Children's Cerebral Palsy Movement, where all kids can participate no matter their ability.
The event will also have a free Community Health Fair featuring health and wellness organizations offering giveaways and informational handouts. A wide variety of health screenings will be available, including a 3D foot scan, blood pressure check, balance assessment, dental scans, and much more. About 2,000 are expected and the great thing about this is that the event helps non-profits. "The Oso Fit 5K Fun Run & Community Health Fair is designed to support local Mission Viejo Non-Profits reach their fundraising goals. 100% of the pre-registration fees for the event go back directly to the local non-profits, which helps them meet their fundraising goals while removing any cost on them to run their own 5K race. The event itself is offset by the Community Health Fair vendors, so no taxpayer money is used to operate this event. It's a win-win in our books!" said Event Chair Barbara Swanson. Barbara said there will be about 50 non-profits participating, and one is Uniforms for Hope, started by the Maloof sisters. They created the non-profit out of love for travel as they had visited many countries around the world. and while there they'd visit schools bringing stickers and snacks for the kids. Seeing their excitement was inspiring as the kids were so happy to be at school. The teachers told them how difficult it was for most children in the poorer regions to attend due to the mandatory uniform requirement. Many villagers couldn't afford a uniform for their kids so that message stuck with the two sisters deeply. After they returned, they researched this and found that around 264 million children worldwide do not receive an education because they don't have a uniform. Finding no other organization to help, the non-profit Uniforms for Hope was born. Countries they've helped have been Lebanon, Cambodia. Tanzania, Congo, Uganda, India. and Kenya. Dr. Catherine Maloof said, "Education is the key as the girls who are not attending school by the age of 11 or 12 will most likely be married off to a man 50 to 70 years of age who already has multiple wives and children. A uniform is all it takes to get these girls to school, away from a life of abuse and potential sex trafficking." Having a school uniform gives a status symbol to a better life with optimism and aspiration. Even better is that they don't buy the uniforms off the shelf when it's time to get them. The money goes to the people on the ground who teach the girls how to sew or they bring in local women to sew the uniforms, creating a small free enterprise. Encouraging entrepreneurship and empowering these young women and local women and widows, all with a sewing machine! Here locally, the Maloof sisters speak to kids at various schools about the dreams and aspirations of the children they are providing uniforms to in those developing countries. Many are very receptive and have raised money for the country they want to support, and many will be running in the Oso Fit 5K Fun Run. Maureen Maloof said, "It's a great way to make sure our kids here appreciate what they have, and it also makes them feel good about themselves and their charitable efforts. Pre-registration ends on Friday, February 18, (2022) at 7 pm. One hundred percent of your pre-registration fee goes directly to the local non-profit of your choice. To register for the Oso Fit 5k Fun Run, visit https://osofit5k.org. To find out more about Uniforms for Hope, visit www.uniformsforhope.org