Hundreds of students “doing their year” in Israel gathered this past Friday in Gan Sacher for a 5k run ending at the Hebrew University Givat Ram track and field stadium. The students chose United Hatzalah to be the beneficiary of all the sponsorship funds for the race. The organizing committee worked in close cooperation with the municipality, the police, a private security and of course United Hatzalah to ensure a safe and enjoyable event. The goal of the event was to raise enough money to add 5 more ambucycles to United Hatzalah’s growing fleet. The idea caught on and more and more students from around the city joined the effort. Some students saw it as an opportunity to help a good cause, some saw it as an opportunity to challenge themselves athletically and some just came for a good time. In the end everyone came out a winner because they were helping the people who race around Israel on a daily basis saving lives. Participants and spectators waited with bated breath at the end of the race to hear whether they had reached their goal.

When the news broke that an anonymous donor had matched all funds raised for the event that the tension reached a fever pitch. A few frantic phone calls to check with the webmaster of www.racetosavelives.org to coordinate final totals and the announcement rang out that enough funds were raised for 10 more ambucycles!

United Hatzalah’s Chief Coordinator Eli Beer was visibly moved when he addressed the crowd and said that  “The commitment, enthusiasm and leadership showed by young people before us today is an inspiration to me, our donors and all of our volunteers.”

Jerusalem mayor Nir Barakat an advocate of healthy living and activities sent along his congratulations and apologies that a scheduling conflict prevented his personal participation in the race.

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