Saturday, April 4, 2009

The Trans USA Run - Running for Youth

John Radich, Ultra Marathoner, makes his dream become a reality. Starting in spring 2010 he will run across America. He will be starting in Santa Monica, CA, and running along the historic Route 66 into Chicago, continuing into New York and down to Washington, DC. A total of 3,700 miles!

Route 66 goes through eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Route 66 symbolized the renewed spirit of optimism that pervaded the country after economic catastrophe and global war. Often called, "The Main Street of America", it linked a remote and under-populated region with two vital 20th century cities - Chicago and Los Angeles.

Since 1979 John has completed hundreds of ultra marathons, covering a distance of more then 30,000 miles. He has run the famous Western States 100 mile trail race, he is the 3 time Arizona 6 Day Run winner in 2005, 2006 and 2007. In 1999 John ran from Athens, Greece to Hamburg, Germany, for Human Rights. John has raised over $100,000 for various charities through his running efforts.

628,200 acts of violence per year. 17% of combatants carrying deadly weapons.. War zones? Inner-city gangs? Or organized crime? No. It's our nation's schools. Today's children will become tomorrow's civilization. The way to happiness has on its route the loving and the helping of children from babyhood to the brink of adult life. John's motivation is to help and supports with his running the non-profit organization The Way to Happiness.

The Way to Happiness International
The Way to Happiness Foundation International was established in 1984 with the mission of reversing the moral decay in society by restoring trust and honesty in the world through the publication and widespread distribution of The Way to Happiness booklet. Today the booklet is published in 94 languages. The Way to Happiness foundation is a nonprofit public benefit corporation with international headquarters in Glendale, CA, and offices throughout the world.

Based wholly on common sense, the moral code was first published in 1981 and has as
its purpose to help arrest the current moral decline in society and restore integrity and trust to man. Written by L. Ron Hubbard, the book fills the moral vacuum in an increasingly materialistic society. This code of conduct contains 21 basic principles that guide one to a better quality of life. Entirely nonreligious, it can be followed by anyone, of any race, color or creed and works to restore the bonds that unite humankind.

The Foundation coordinates public awareness campaigns worldwide. The centerpiece of the campaign is the award-winning series of 21 public service announcements, each depicting one of the principles from The Way to Happiness. These PSAs have been seen on television all over the world.

But the real power of the booklet is realized when it is distributed to others, hand to hand. In this way, one helps others survive better and lead happier lives. They, in turn, pass copies of the book to those whose lives they influence, encouraging others to treat their fellows with kindness, compassion and respect.


The Purpose of The Trans USA Run
The purpose is to fundraise for The Way to Happiness' campaigns (www.twth.org) and distribute as many booklets and PSA DVDs as possible and create a major impact. Media and other organizations will be contacted along John's course when he passes by. We can thereby support youth to make the right choices through trust, honesty and restoring common sense values, which all cultures and creeds agree with. Kids are our future and this being a worthy purpose, with crime, drugs, intolerance all rampant in our society, this concerns us all.

The Way to Happiness has precepts such as:

● Love and help children
● Try not to do things to others that you would not like them to do to you
● Safeguard and improve your environment
● Don't do anything illegal

Success from Youth
"My school reports contained 'As', but only in the word 'absent'. My parents left a copy of The Way to Happiness on my bed one day, and I sat down and read it. The book contained many ideas and concepts that I had always wanted to live up to, but had failed at, even some real simple ones that I thought weren't a problem for me, such as 'Be worthy of trust', but in fact had failed at, too. Something happened to me when I stared that cold hard fact in the face, and realized I was not worthy of trust. I decided to change."

Contributions
Donations
As with almost any activity in life, we require financial energy to make the Trans USA run. Your support is essential to our success. Remember that all contributions are tax deductible. Please add the code "JR" to your donation if done via phone.

Donate by Internet
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=945094

Donate by Phone
Call The Way to Happiness International at (818) 254-0600.
U.S. residents can call toll free at (800) 255-7906.


Volunteers/Fundraisers
We need volunteers for events coordination, organizational tasks and fundraiser over a period of about 3-4 months. You can choose the amount of time you would like to dedicate per week. Contact: Richard Ettricks, cell 323 377 5409 or Patricia O'Brien, email: thetransusarun@gmail.com.


To get in touch with John Radidch in person, please contact: jrultrarun@yahoo.com.