Featured Fundraisers — Robert Cameron runs Boston Marathon and wins Razoo promotion for Roots & Wings International
September 14th, 2011 by Christian Brink
A Project by Robert Cameron for Roots & Wings International
$2,035 raised on Razoo
9 donors
3 fans
Robert Cameron, a childhood friend of Roots & Wings International founder, Erik Swanson, took a challenge from a friend to try running marathons, a feat he previously thought crazy. But having successfully run three marathons in the past year, his most recent being the Boston Marathon, Cameron has taken the challenge one step further by running to raise money for Roots & Wings International.
While at an expo for the 2011 Boston Marathon, Cameron was approached by a Razoo representative who asked if he’d like to participate in a promotion that would match a donation up to $1,000 for a nonprofit of his choice. In order to win, Cameron had to guess his finishing time for the 26.2-mile road race. He guessed aggressively with 2:58:46. To Cameron’s surprise, he came in only one second ahead of his predicted time. Needless to say, he won the $1,000 Razoo promotion and immediately began raising money for Roots & Wings.
“Annually, my friends and I would do fundraisers here and there to help Erik and his nonprofit,” said Cameron. “So when I was approached by Razoo at the marathon I thought it would be another great way to show my support.”
Created in 2004, Roots & Wings International is a nonprofit that promotes elementary through university education to indigenous youth in rural Guatemala. It empowers the country’s impoverished by offering university scholarships, elementary tutoring, and computer literacy programs. By educating the Guatemalan youth, Swanson hopes to provide the community with the necessary tools to break the cycle of poverty and establish sustainable economic growth.
“My draw to Roots & Wings was primarily because of my relationship with Erik,” said Cameron. “But also because it’s important for us as people to continue encouraging others to grow and help improve their lives.”
With the donations from Razoo and his supporters, Cameron raised over $2,000 for Roots & Wings. The money went towards university scholarships for young adults in Guatemala to attend local universities. Cameron plans to return to Boston for next year’s marathon.
