I'm Running for No Surrender Running Club!

Who is No Surrender Running Club?

No Surrender Running Club (NSRC) is a sport-for-development nonprofit organization that aims to empower Grand Rapids youth to achieve great things, one step at a time. NSRC believes that sport is a powerful took for development, growth, and empowerment of individuals, families, and communities. 

NSRC serves youth in the Grand Rapids and surrounding communities that do not have access to regular sport of physical activity opportunities for many reasons including:

• Lack of sport programming available through schools
• Barriers related to pay-to-play or try-out centered sport programs
• Intense schedules that conflict with other responsibilities 
• Lack of access to necessary sporting equipment
• Conflicts with parents schedules and resources
• Trust in external systems
• Familial responsibilities
• Involvement in other systems that prevent participation in afterschool activities 
• Perceptions of a specific “athletic requirement” (e.g. “I’m not fast enough” or “I’m not a runner.”)

It is a vital part of NSRC to consistently provide inclusive programming that allows youth to participate regardless of their experience of one or more of the factors listed above.

What does NSRC do?

To achieve its mission, NSRC uses peer-to-peer and youth-to-adult relationship building  and running as tools to teach goal setting, foster physical and mental health, and build self-esteem of youth participants. Our runners train for 6 months with peers and adult community-based mentors for two major races throughout the year, including the Huntington Reeds Lake 10K Race (6.2 miles) in June and the Lake Michigan Credit Union Bridge Run (10 miles) in September. Throughout the season, youth participants earn new running shoes, running clothes, and outings as rewards for setting and striving towards individualized goals. All programming is provided at no cost to EVERY youth participant. 

What will your donation go towards?

NSRC is a 100% volunteer-led organization. Your donations go towards providing running shoes, clothing, race entries, nutrition, and other necessities to ensure that all youth interested in programming are able to participate fully. NSRC will serve over 120 youth runners across 6 months of programming in 2020! That's a lot of impact!

Thank you!

Thank you for supporting NSRC's 2020 Gazelle Girl runners! We can't wait to see you on the course and are even more excited for you to see the entire team at practice, or at the 2020 Huntington Reeds Lake Run and LMCU Bridge Run!