Students Run Oakland
S.R.O. is a non-profit, non-competitive athletic and mentoring program in Oakland, CA, that trains low-income students from inner-city public high schools to run a 26.2 mile marathon. Training for a marathon teaches at-risk youth the values of goal setting, discipline, and commitment, which improves their attitudes about school and helps develop skills for life.

Students in S.R.O. are involved in a demanding athletic activity that requires a healthy and substance-free lifestyle – and because the goal of completing a marathon is so formidable, students who reach that goal are transformed mentally as well as physically.

Ethembeni School
Established in 1984, Ethembeni School serves 300 physically disabled and visually impaired children from all over Kwazulu-Natal, Kingdom of the Zulu (South Africa), educating them to reach their highest potential and to become independent and responsible citizens of the community. Through Fleet Feet Sports and Balega’s support of the Ethembeni School, a scholarship fund has been set up to provide money for the education of the children of Ethembeni. Each year, Balega International will donate a percentage of the gross revenue generated from the sales of their socks through Fleet Feet Sports stores to the scholarship fund.

Learn More About the Ethembeni School from this Video.

Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run is a non-profit prevention program that encourages preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. Their curricula address all aspects of the girls’ development – their physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being.
Girls on the Run International (GOTRI) is the parent organization of more than 120 Girls on the Run councils across the United States and Canada. GOTRI establishes, trains, and supports a network of community-level councils with local volunteers. The volunteers serve as role models to the girls through coaching the 12-week, 24 lesson curricula. The curriculum is delivered in the SF area though after-school programs, recreation centers and other non-profit settings.