A Van Wert County runner hit the streets to make sure that other men don’t have to sleep on them. This is the second year that Shane Leeth has run a 4x4x48, which means running 4 miles, every 4 hours for 48 hours to raise money for Haven of Hope men’s shelter. The Christian-based shelter has been only open for a year and a half, and they average about 5 to 6 men a night. Besides helping put a roof over their heads, Haven of Hope also finds ways to help the men become self-sufficient and get out on their own. During this year’s run, Leeth got others involved including the coaches of the Crestview Cross Country team to run with him, and he is hoping to break last year's fundraising efforts of $7,000.
“It a great opportunity to take something that I really enjoy doing and I love to do, knowing that we are giving back to the community,” says Leeth, “So, it is not just going out every day and running. I am able to take some time and provide something back to those that need it.”
“We rely completely on community support, churches, businesses, just local people who care about what we do,” adds Jamie Ramos, Ex. Dir. Haven of Hope. “So, he (Leeth) approached us last year about doing this fundraiser and set it up all on his own last year. It went over so well so we asked him if this can become an annual thing for us.”
If anybody is interested in helping with the shelter’s mission, you can log on to www.havenofhopevw.org.
