Bill Armstrong will be running with his heart on his sleeve on Sunday 6 December 2020 as he dedicates a 42km marathon run to raise funds for the children of Ashraya.
Ashraya is a social welfare and rehabilitation centre based in Bangalore, India. In other words, Ashraya is home for children who are orphaned and/or whose families don’t have the means to care for them. Without Ashraya these children are homeless in an environment with extreme poverty, unemployment and illness.
These children’s welfare and care are completely dependent on the kindness of people like Bill.
Through the COVID19 pandemic, Ashraya has come under significant financial difficulty. This placed the welfare of all the children at risk and placed great pressure on the people who work and care for the children.
Upon sharing this with Collective Heart, member Bill Armstrong was moved to want to do something to contribute to the plight of Ashraya. Bill has decided to run a marathon and invite donations for his run to help Ashraya continue offering a home and food to the children.
Since deciding to do this run, the founder and mother of Ashraya, Leela Deshpande, has passed away. This has placed further concern and worry for the dedicated staff, caretakers and children of Ashraya.
Bill will be running on Sunday 6 December 2020 and invites your kind contribution. No donation is too small. Ashraya and the welfare of the children are in the hands of kindness. Your kindness will always be in their hearts.
Bill’s marathon route through Newcastle
Bill will be starting his run at 4am on Sunday 6th December and he will have completed 22kms before reaching the park behind Newcastle Beach at 8am. Then he will complete a 7km circuit three times from Newcastle to Carrington and back and return to the park behind Newcastle Beach by 11am. Drink stations will be set up along the way for well wishers to encourage Bill in his heartfelt run for Ashraya.
My motivations : Bill Armstrong
Bill chats about his motivations behind this heartfelt run with Matt from Collective Heart.
Leela’s children - the story of Ashraya
This short video tells the story of Ashraya through the eyes of the children and through the words of Leela Deshpande and Dr. Geeta Patil.
Bill will be running on Sunday 6 December 2020 and invites your kind contribution. No donation is too small. Ashraya and the welfare of the children are in the hands of kindness. Your kindness will always be in their hearts.