South Carolina Couple to Run Across Ethiopia To Build Schools

Prior to last October, Dena Piecuch and Jeffrey Metzler of Mount Pleasant, just outside of Charleston, S.C., had never even run a marathon. But while the idea of running 250 miles in 12 days across Southern Ethiopia should seem quite daunting, the couple's real fear came in raising their goal of $30,000 in a seriously depressed economy.

Now just $7,500 away from their goal, they plan to hold a final fundraiser upon returning from Africa. Their running team, made up of 5 other runners from Michigan has a goal of raising $150,000 for Ethiopian school projects. More specifically, according to the article in the Post and Courier, funds will be used to build three schools in conjunction with the Tesfa Foundation and the Oromia Cooperative Farmers Cooperative Union, a union of 129 fair-trade coffee cooperatives that together represent some 800,000 families.

"The prospect of building three schools in Ethiopia is exciting, and it will have an undeniably positive impact on the folks over there. The 'Run Across Ethiopia' will affect change on the ground level instead of just sending a check to a vague entity or cause," Metzler said in the article.

Piecuch, a police officer in downtown Charleston, and Metzler a trainer at a local gym, have managed to train for the race and raise big money through several fundraisers, all the while maintaining full time jobs. Quite a feat.