A theft of donated gear turned out to be a blessing in disguise for a nonprofit kids running program in Oakland, California.
Two weeks ago, organizers for the group “Running for a Better Oakland” (RBO) discovered more than 100 pairs of running shoes, water bottles, shirts, snacks, and other equipment had been stolen. The gear was locked in an old ambulance that RBO uses as a mobile storage unit.
Founded in 2011, RBO is a program that trains kindergarten through 12th-grade students to run a 5K in the fall and either a 5K or half marathon in the spring. With the help of volunteer coaches and mentors, RBO uses running to foster healthier lifestyles and confidence in its participants, many of whom come from low-income communities.
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The robbery occurred just a week and a half before the fall training season began last weekend. About 200 students are training for the Let’s Go 510 5K on October 25, and many rely on the gear to take part in the program.
“I was just angry,” Claire Blaney, the executive director for RBO, told Runner’s World. “We spend so much time trying to raise money, and you really want to spend your time developing the program. Now we have to worry about this. [The stolen shoes and gear] are the basic things we need for the program. It’s ridiculous.”
With only a few days remaining before the first practice, Blaney and other RBO volunteers and participants took to social media to try to reverse the problem. Soon, friends and strangers alike began donating money, shoes, and snacks to the organization.
“Now we have more shoes than we lost, and we have the money to purchase the shirts and water bottles for the season,” Blaney said. “We’re in a better place than when we started.”
Blaney estimates they’ve received nearly 300 pairs of sneakers so far. Those shoes will outfit many of this season’s students as well as those in the spring group, which typically draws about 500 athletes.
“I think the support that we’ve gotten is a testament to the kids and the volunteers in the program,” Blaney said. “It’s been pretty heartwarming."
