In 2011 I ran the Chicago Marathon and we raised 1K for the Ronald McDonald house of Chicago. In 2014 I ran the NYC marathon and we raised 2K for the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Center. In 2018 I ran for Rebuilding Together NYC and raised $3550 a tremendous amount that  Next month I will be running the NYC marathon again for Rebuilding together NYC. 

An organization that rebuilds homes for low-income New Yorkers, provides construction workforce training and provides job placement services for low-income New Yorkers. I came across this organization because they rebuild 25 homes in Canarsie and the community center (which my family attended pretty regularly in the summers) after Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012 (video shown on the link below, shows the work they did in Canarsie). My home and my grandparent's homes were both flooded during the hurricane but it was not that bad, some of our neighbors were not as fortunate. I hate asking for money but anything helps, I’ve learned over the years in raising money for different causes, that the people with the least to give, almost always give the most, because they know anyone catastrophic even could cost them everything. I always tell people to be the change they want to see, so when I run the marathon in New York, I will actually be running for the people who need help the most in New York.    

In 2018 I visited one of the classes where students were getting their certification and I told them my story. How my dad immigrated here from China, how I grew up in Canarsie, and went to South Shore HS, they we're bewildered at how a Chinese guy could have grown up in the same community they did, avoiding gangs and how rough I must have had it in HS, but we're all the same I said, I'm from where you are, and I want to see our community get better, I'm just helping a neighbor by raising this money, just like fixing a sink or cleaning the gutters. I wished them all the best, and hoped they come back and help one day! They all smiled, and I'll remember those smiles for the rest of my life. They are going to carry me across the finish line!

As the video saids 'lets rebuild lives and renew hope!'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-uLsCzYW68

Below is more information about Rebuilding Together NYC from the website.

Rebuilding Together NYC (RT NYC) is a not-for-profit organization that promotes equity through the preservation and repair of existing housing, minimizing displacement and the impacts of gentrification, and re-skilling individuals for careers in construction.

Our programs serve New Yorkers most impacted by systemic oppression that results in disproportionate rates of unemployment, low wages, unsafe and unhealthy housing conditions and generational poverty. We support entry into careers that promote economic mobility for black and brown New Yorkers and help elderly community members maintain their homes allowing them to age in place. All individuals served through our programs earn at or below 80% Area Median Income (AMI).

For more information, visit www.rebuildnyc.org

Please and Thank You, Much Love and Appreciation

Alex Chiu