The Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF) has announced the roster of Honorary Co-Chairs for the May 5, 2018, IN THEIR SHOES 5K to benefit Iraq’s most vulnerable children:
- His Excellency Fareed Yasseen, Ambassador of Iraq to the United States
- Ambassador Ryan Crocker (Ret.), Former US Ambassador to Iraq and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Lt. General Jeffrey S. Buchanan, Commander, US Army North (Fifth Army), Served four tours in Iraq
- Cynthia Ozbat and Elijah Ozbat, Gold Star Mother and brother of Cpt. Jesse Ozbat, served in Iraq, killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan
- Zainab Salbi, Award winning humanitarian, media host, and author
And ICF welcomes back our 5K stars: the three “Young Ambassadors” who are true testaments to the strength and resilience of Iraqi children. Teeba was severely burned in a car bombing in Baghdad as a little girl. Ala’a was abandoned in Iraq as a little boy with cerebral palsy. And Humoody was shot in the face by terrorists and blinded. Who better to represent the children of Iraq at this event?
THIS IS WHY WE RUN…
for children like Noor
Ten-year old Noor lives in poverty with her mother and little brother in a house of mud and sheet metal. She enjoys going regularly to the Hope Bus for tutoring and a nutritious lunch, but she also works collecting empty cans from landfills to support her family.
Recently, Noor came to the bus, sobbing and saying her mother was about to die. Staff immediately went to check and discovered her mother had suffered a heart attack but didn’t have money to go to a doctor or buy medicine. They took her to a hospital, and Noor and her brother went to stay with a relative. After several days, the mother was ready to go home and today, Noor is back in class at the Hope Bus!
Incoming ICF Chairman Mohammed Khudairi Khudairi said:
“I am pleased and honored to have the opportunity to give back to the children of Iraq as the new Chairman of the Iraqi Children Foundation. As a young man spending summers in Iraq, I interacted with many underprivileged children who lived in dire conditions and those children became some of my best friends. I cherish those relationships to this day.
“As an American and businessman, this cause is dear to my heart and I call on all our friends in the Iraqi-American community, business community, veterans, and Gold Star families to join us May 5 to run/walk ‘in their shoes’ for these vulnerable children.“
(Source: ICF)