Ya'at'eeh (hello) readers,
I hope this finds you well and in good spirits.
My name is Casey Kee Long and I am Diné from the Navajo Nation. Exciting news!! I will be running the Boston Marathon with a charity bib on behalf of Wings of America. Running the Boston Marathon is a dream come true for me and is something I have always wanted to do, but it is an even greater honor to be asked to travel and race in service of Native American youth selected for Wings of America's Pursuit Program. As a Native runner and past participant in Wings' programs, I know first-hand how traveling with the organization can be a life changing experience and I am excited for the selected youth be be involved in Boston 2023. We kindly ask for your help to help defray the cost of traveling over the course of 4 days.
Thank you for supporting this unique opportunity for Native youth! Your generosity is motivation to train diligently and race with a big heart come "Patriot's Day"!
Wings of America
Wings of America has been granted two Boston Marathon "charity bibs" to help raise funds for our Pursuit program for Native American high school juniors. In addition to training for the Marathon, two former Wings participants, Courtney Lewis (Ft. Mojave/Hopi) and Casey Long (Diné), have volunteered to serve a chaperones for Pursuit students through the weekend leading up to their race. Show your appreciation for their committment to Native youth by making a tax-deductible donation to help cover the cost of airfare, lodging, meals and ground transportation for 5 Pursuit students April 13-17, 2023. Contribute to each of their campaigns, or make a general (tax-deductible) donation to Wings. It is our goal to raise $10,000. Thank you for your support!
Suggested Donation levels/uses:
- Bluebird, $25.00- Average cost of one rideshare when there's not enough time or energy to take the metro as a group.
- Swallow, $55.00- Cost of one bib for Pursuit students to participate in the B.A.A. 5K the Saturday before the Marathon.
- Hummingbird, $75.00- Average cost of one breakfast or lunch for all 5 Pursuit students when out on the town.
- Raven, $150.00- Average cost for one dinner for all 5 Pursuit students when out on the town.
- Falcon, $375.00- Entry fee attached to "charity bibs" for the Marathon. Wings covers this fee for Pursuit chaperones, but they must pay for their own airfare to/from Boston.
- Hawk, $413.25- Average rate (per night) for a hotel room (4 twin bunkbeds with shared bathroom down the hall) in Boston's South End over Marathon weekend. In the past, Wings was fortunate to have a host home that could accomodate all our students for the weekend. Unfortuantely, our generous host sold their home this winter. Though we are seeking another host, keeping our group together is a major priority that is difficult for many to oblige.
- Eagle, $500.00- Average cost for a plane ticket to/from Boston for Marathon Weekend.
Since 2017, Wings of America has collaborated with the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) and Boston-area universities to provide this eye-opening experience to promising students from across Indian Country. Apart from running the B.A.A. 5k and spectating the Marathon, Pursuit students visit colleges, learn to navigate the city, and visit with Indigenous friends in the area.
It is our goal to raise $10,000 to cover the cost of Pursuit students' airfare, lodging, meals and ground transportation April 13-17. Please give generously knowing your contributions will help broaden selected students' horizons and help them on their way to becoming role models and leaders in Indian Country. Nearly every former Pursuit student has gone on to college and/or joined our Nation's armed forces.