Rising Hearts March Blog Updates
March is here! We hope you all are staying hydrated and taking care of yourselves. Now more than ever it’s important to nourish yourself and do what brings you joy. We hope you are finding the little moments of joy and that you’re surrounded with community. We are here as community for you so please take the time to see how you can help, get involved and as always reach out if you have any questions or just need support. Rising Hearts has got you!
We have our year jammed packed with some fun and amazing community events and runs! We are so excited and grateful to get to know community, create community, create awareness, and help give back to the heart work that is having profound impacts. We are all part of that, together!
NEXT AWARENESS + ACTION EVENTS:
+ Running On Native Lands | 3/1/25 - 3/15/25
+ Earth Day 5k | 4/19/25 - 4/22/25
+ Running For Justice | 5/3/25 - 5/10/25
AREAS OF FOCUS:
Running With Purpose Athlete Advocate Collective:
We are prioritizing our Running With Purpose Athlete Advocate Collective through our own fundraising and partnerships, to support our athletes in their running and advocacy. This has led to hosting panels, virtual panels and workshops, a handful of athletes sharing their voice and and experiences on podcasts and other media platforms, a special book project with one of our athletes and this collective, supporting their initiatives, providing gear, shoes, and stipends. All possible through our fundraisers and partnerships within the running/outdoor industry. To learn more about our athletes and to be part of it, visit www.risinghearts.org/runningwithpurpose.
Running On Native Lands Initiative:
Our Running On Native Lands Initiative is in constant growth. We are updating the toolkit and will be creating a more formalized process in becoming a partner. We had 16 consultations in 2024, with 5 that became partners and collaborators. We hope to have more consultations coming for 2025, as we raise more funds and submit for more grant funding, we will be able to expand and grow our partnerships more feasibly. Through more funds, we will have more opportunities to present and teach about going beyond a land acknowledgement, allowing us to meet more of community, help educate, and learn from community while being able to utilize our skills and connections to support land back efforts as well. So, we are looking forward to our annual virtual/in person Running On Native Lands community gatherings! Learn more at www.risinghearts.org/nativelands.
Rising Hearts Stories:
Storytelling is incredibly important to us and we hope to elevate as many voices from community as we can. Currently, we are working on our 4th short documentary, in post production, and hoping to have an early spring premiere, stay tuned! In parallel to what we do in helping to tell stories, we help find them, consult on them, and brings people together to make it work. Narrative Shift, a new production company co-founded by Jordan of Rising Hearts, hopes to utilize the resources, tools and connections to support Rising Hearts stories. More to share soon! Learn more at www.risinghearts.org/stories.
Run For Rising Hearts:
We have 2 opportunities for YOU, to run for Rising Hearts and raise funds to support the heart work. Our first option is to get 10 charity runners for Rising Hearts through our The Wander Project partnership for 2025. We were able to raise nearly $15,000 for Rising Hearts in 2024. The second option is to use any race you registered for or want to register for and dedicate it to Rising Hearts and get up to 20 runners. We have some special perks to support runners along the way and help provide you a fundraising link. So if you’d like to run for us through either path, reach out or visit www.risinghearts.org/charity-bib-runners.
You Are Loved Community Grant Initiative:
We are heavily involved in advocacy for the families of missing and murdered loved ones, the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous Women and Peoples, survivors of violence and community organizations and advocates. This program came about with Jordan, using her running to run in prayer for loved ones, raising funds personally and through the annual Rising Hearts Running For Justice 5k/10k/Half Marathon since 2019 to donate to families and advocacy organizations, intersecting with the advocacy and passion of Kali Reis (Seaconke Wampanoag, Cape Verde, Actor (True Detective), World Boxing Champion), coming together to run the 2025 Boston Marathon and launching this initiative and fundraising effort to make funds available to families, survivors, advocates and organizations to apply for to support a variety of needs in their efforts for justice for their loved ones. To learn more and donate to help us reach our goal, visit www.risinghearts.org/youareloved.
Kinship with sister organization:
ReNew Earth Running (RER) is a family organization to us, a sister in the heart work we do as much of their mission intersects with what we do as well. With Jordan as Board Chair of RER, we have been able to share some of our resources, connections and funding with the RER #LegsForLandBack runners as well, as a handful of runners are RWP Athlete Advocates. We look forward growing our kinship!
We are up to so much! And we hope to apply for more funding and we will keep raising funds as we go to keep us running in all ways. Wopila tanka, many thanks, to all of you for your support, and we look forward to our hearts moving forward together.
- Rising Hearts
SUPPORT OUR RUNNERS
PICTURE CREDIT: Miya Hirabayashi | @hey_miya
RISING HEARTS RWP ATHLETE AND CHARITY BIB RUNNER, XAVIER
I chose to represent team action because no child should ever have to experience pain or fight alone. The health, safety, and well-being of children is our responsibility. Representing team action allows me to do my part in making this world a tad bit sweeter.
SUPPORT HIS FUNDRAISER FOR THE LONDON MARATHON: https://2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/xavier-hendrix?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaaYGGs3gcFuznYP6SdtrSNjYFWTaM2Chg4Eeu9B29hkS5KK-1bBcl2ubeI_aem_Kqcd4t_KGlIfbWTaskinJg
UPCOMING RUNS
5th Annual Running On Native Lands Virtual and In Person Movement Event!
" Connect with the lands, learn the history, support Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous stewardship.”
Join Rising Hearts for our 5th Annual Running On Native Lands event! This event is to elevate our awareness of whose lands we are on, the Indigenous communities still thriving and here, and the the Indigenous stewardship of the lands. Our goal of this event is to fundraise and donate back to heart working Indigenous organizations, and to foster our kinship with the lands and people, beyond just acknowledging the lands we are on and just enjoying a run or movement outside with the lands.
+ New shirts and hoodies available, via registration site!
Dates: March 1 - 15, 2025
Distances: 5k ($20), 10k ($30), 13.1mi ($35), Trifecta
Where: Virtual (in person runs are option but will have to provide me with the locations and who the run leads are and we can add those into the registration site)
Add a Land Acknowledgement to your Bib
Downloadable bib available for free (registration isn't required, but helps with being able to donate to beneficiaries)
Perks:
+ 10 participants will be selected to receive a gift code for a free pair of On running shoes when you join RISING HEARTS (virtual team)
+ 5 participants with an additional donation will be selected to receive a gift code for a free pair of On Running Shoes
+ 5 participants that register will be selected to win a new 2025 Rising Hearts shirt
Beneficiaries:
+ Rising Hearts
+ Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy: https://www.tongva.land
+ ReNew Earth Running
CLICK HERE TO ORDER A RISING HEARTS X BAKLINE UNISEX SHIRTS:
PASSWORD TO ENTER IS RISINGHEARTS
Orders purchased by 2/22/25, will be guaranteed to arrive as early as 3/1/25 through 3/15/25. Orders after 2/22, will be processed, printed and shipped as soon as possible.
BENEFICIARIES
ReNew Earth Running:
Running to protect and heal the environment by restoring land to the stewardship of Tribal Nations and Indigenous leadership. #LegsForLandBack
Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy:
A Tongva led organization with the purpose of stewarding the lands of Tovaangar — the traditional native lands of the greater Los Angeles basin.
Rising Hearts:
An Indigenous led organization, elevating community voices through meaningful kinship, movement, advocacy and storytelling. Much of the heart work we prioritize is cultivating kinship with brands, companies and groups, while creating meaningful collaborations with the Rising Hearts athletes, community partners and broader movement community.
Our Programs:
Running On Native Lands Initiative
Running With Purpose Athlete Advocates
Rising Hearts Stories | Filmmaking
Virtual Movement Events | Race Organizing
You Are Loved Community Grant Initiative
Consulting - DEI / Collab opportunities / Facilitating Connections
Our Roles:
Programs Coordinator
Executive Director
Wildfire relief update!
Toovangar Wildfire Relief Run 5k
+ $593 donated to Indigenous Circle of Wellness for providing mental health services to the community impacted by the wildfires
+ $593 donated to So’oh-Shinálí Sister Project for their boots on the ground mutual aid efforts for the community impacted
+ $593 donated to Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy Eaton Wildfire Recovery efforts: The recent wildfire at Eaton Canyon has deeply impacted the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy and the surrounding community. While some parts of the land were spared, others—including cherished structures and natural spaces—suffered significant damage. Despite these losses, the resilience of the land, supported by Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), offers hope for recovery.
This page serves as a hub for updates, resources, and ways to contribute to the recovery of both the Conservancy and our neighbors. Together, we can rebuild and heal. To learn more about what they are doing, visit https://www.tongva.land/eaton-wildfire-recovery.
Toovangar Wildfire Fire Relief T-shirt Campaign
+ $370 was donated to Mutual Aid LA to support their boots on the ground efforts in serving the communities impacted
Rising Hearts Led Efforts:
+ We helped start a gofundme for our Running With Purpose Athlete Advocate, Jinghuan Liu Tervalon and her family, who lost their home from the Eaton Wildfire. We raised $72,647 for Jinghuan and her family. THE POWER OF COMMUNITY!
+ Through our kinships with On Running and Patagonia, we were able to donate clothes and shoes to 6 families and individuals, and 2 Indigenous led nonprofit efforts.
+ Rising Hearts also has shipped 10 boxes of gently used or new items of clothing, toddler/baby clothes, shoes, handbags, kids drink and snack tupperware, kids toys, and books to 3 nonprofits helping to distribute items throughout the community.
+ And we have created a blog to collect and consolidate all the resources we were able to find, health related information, and gofundme campaigns and other ways to donate via our Blog and Newsletters.
RUN REFLECTIONS
Running with Purpose Athlete Advocate, Shayla Manitowabi Huebner
Boozhoo idinawemaaganinado!
The past ten months have been a journey of personal loss and unprocessed grief. Acknowledging this, I recently joined a virtual grief support group for BIPOC, and it has truly been a game changer. In the midst of it all, running has been a source of joy—especially with my 1.5-year-old Belgian Malinois. We rescued her about six months ago, and though we hadn’t planned on adopting another pup, everything just seemed to fall into place.
Lately, I’ve been focusing on prioritizing nutrition, sleep, and pre-hab. I find myself skipping meals just from being in a rush or forgetting to eat altogether. But when I make time for balanced meals and get enough rest, my mood and energy levels are better. And as I get ‘older,’ I can’t neglect my mobility and stretching. No longer can I just dash out the door for a run—well, maybe I shouldn’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t.
All in all, I’m moving forward and looking ahead with hope.
Running With Purpose Athlete Advocate, Jocelyn Rivas
Training for the Cocodona 250 is officially underway! This past weekend, I used the Ventura Full Marathon as a long run, and I’m determined to keep the momentum going. In the lead-up to race day, I’ll be adding a few more marathons—including LA, Boston, and one more—along with an ultra of 12 hours or 100km. Reflecting on my DNF at Western States this past summer, my biggest takeaway was the importance of having a coach and incorporating build-up races to increase my time on feet—both of which I’m prioritizing this time around.
My ultimate goal is to cross the finish line at Cocodona 250 while raising awareness about the injustices immigrants face in the U.S. and within my Los Angeles community. Additionally, I want to highlight an organization supporting the Los Angeles fire victims and elevate the incredible work of Rising Hearts. In roughly 2 months I will be running with my HEART.
FUNDRAISE FOR RISING HEARTS
We had 11 runners in 2024, turning their passion into purpose! We came close to $15,000 for 2024! Here’s a chance to support our heart work through a different means - running! We hope to find 10 runners for 2025!
2025 RACES ARE OPEN!
WANT TO RACE FOR RISING HEARTS OUTSIDE OF THESE WE HAVE SELECTED?
Not seeing a race you want to run in this list? Check out all of the Wander Project events and choose the “Your Choice” option. They will reach out to learn more about your charity of choice and once you let them know that you’ll be running for Rising Hearts, they will make sure your funds come to support our mission!”
Athletes who want to support Rising Hearts for a race that is not listed, can sign up for any of the events on The Wander Project calendar: https://www.wanderproject.org/event-partners/ and pick 'Your Choice' for charity and then fill out the form to indicate they want to support Rising Hearts: (FAQ page here: https://www.wanderproject.org/athletes/frequently-asked-questions/)
Reach out to us via email, info@rising-hearts.org. Share with us your plans, then we’ll set you up with the link!
Want to run for Rising Hearts?
This is more new for us! We have a givelively link specifically for runners/individuals, who want to raise funds for the heart work we do! If it’s not through our partnership with The Wander Project, or our other partners at CIM or Boston, you can run for Rising Hearts at any race you choose and bring more fun and purpose to your why and the run.
We hope to get 20 Rising Hearts runners!
Suggested fundraising limits:
RH Athletes / Community = $500
Open to Community = minimum $800
Perks: RH Singlet, merch, stickers, fuel, and if shoes are needed, we can help you!
PODCASTS
The Riser's Hub Podcast
Welcome to The Risers Hub—your go-to podcast for wellness, empowerment, and personal growth! Whether striving for mental clarity, fitness, or a full lifestyle transformation, we’re here to guide you with expert insights, practical wisdom, and a touch of humor. As the author of "Time to Rise and Get Fit and Stay There," your host, Nicol Hodges, is here to help you unlock your full potential—no gimmicks, just real talk, and motivation. Tune in, take action, and rise to your best self! Subscribe. Like. Share. Wherever you get your podcast!
Instagram: https://instagram.com/therisershub
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@therisershub