Still on the Run

Running to raise money for Right to Life

For the third year in a row, Brett Moon of Chelsea donned his running shoes and joined the throng of some 11,000 for the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon on October 23 last year.

Also among the masses was Sarah Justian of Whitehall, running for the second time. Both had the same goal in mind: to raise awareness and money for the Right to Life of Michigan Educational Fund.

“It’s something that is important to our family, this whole issue of life,” said Moon. “It is an important part of our lives and something small that I can do.”

His wife, Nancy, volunteered for a pregnancy help center and Moon felt this was one way he could make a difference for the unborn. Now his family, including the Moons’ four children, is getting involved in running. Nancy and the couple’s oldest daughter, Melissa, will be doing the 5K at the Dexter/Ann Arbor run in June.

Justian, Life Ministries coordinator at St. James Lutheran Church in Muskegon and mother of two young girls, found this year’s 26.2 mile run much easier than her first year.

“I improved my time by more than half an hour,” she said. But the improvement wasn’t the main focus of Justian’s run. In 2004 she wore a homemade T-shirt with a picture of her nephew, Brenden, 17 weeks premature, who died at just 11 days. “Right to Life of Michigan” was emblazoned across the back.

Her T-shirt for the 2005 run featured a picture of her two daughters and her sister’s second son, who turned one in February this year. Under the photo were the words, “Children are a Gift from God,” with “Right to Life of Michigan” again on the back along with the children’s hand prints.

“I ran the first time for my nephew, who had died, and this time for the baby who was born in 2005,” said Justian.

Moon’s and Justian’s efforts brought in more than $1,200 for the Educational Fund.

While Justian will likely participate in marathons closer to her home this year (there are marathons in a number of Michigan cities throughout the year), Moon plans to take on the Detroit event again in October of 2006.

He pointed out that it is not necessary to run a full marathon in order to raise money for Right to Life of Michigan. Enthusiasts can also participate in a half marathon (13.1 miles), a 5K (about three miles) or a full marathon relay with five team members.

“We know we have to save lives,” said Moon. “We’ll do whatever we can to help.”

If you would like to know more about running in the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon (this year’s is tentatively slated for Sunday, Oct. 15) or other marathons on behalf of the Right to Life of Michigan Educational Fund, you can contact Diane Hanson at 734/455-1973, e-mail dhanson@rtl.org.