Nearly two months ago, I announced my intention to participate in the Philadelphia Marathon events not only to fulfill a personal goal, but to use the race as a vehicle to raise awareness for victims of sexual violence through contributions to RAINN. I've been joined by many others - runners, Penn Staters, family and friends of the Penn State community and those who believe in the fight to help victims reclaim their lives.

I'm extremely pleased to announce that we've blown away our initial goal of raising $500 and we're hovering around $1300!!! And this is a testament to all those involved with soliciting donations and the good folks at BSD for allowing us to promote the cause.

As I sit here two days before the race (immobile from carb-loading) reflecting on the past year, I realize how proud I am to be a part of this community. We have an amazing ability to come together for a great cause time and time again. This is just a small example of that synergy in action.

So to my fellow runners and fundraisers, good luck this weekend and thank you for all your hard work. To all the donors out there - your generosity and support will go a long way towards helping affected individuals.

And for anybody else who hasn't contributed yet, please do! Any amount is appreciated and we're accepting donations until the end of the month. Thanks!