Join 17 year old Iranian-American Nadia Farjood in the Walk for Hope 5K on 21 September 2008 in sunny San Diego for the benefit of the young women at Omid-e-Mehr in Iran. Alternatively you can support Nadia’s event by making a donation. Through her grandmother (shown above with Nadia) and aunt, Nadia learned about Omid and its commitment to empowering disadvantaged young women in Iran. As president of the Key Club of Torrey Pines High School in San Diego she suggested a fund-raising walk in support of Omid and its cause to the club’s members. Her idea was taken up with enthusiasm and her club teamed up with their sister high school, the Canyon Crest Academy, to organize the fund-raising walk and make a difference in the lives of the young women at Omid.

Nadia and her friends understand that the young women at Omid have the same dreams as all of us and that our contributions can bring them one small step closer to realizing their dreams. Please see below for more information about Omid and its dedication to empowering young women and be sure to check out some of the remarkable stories of these inspiring women available on the Omid web site. Get involved by registering for the walk, or by making a donation.

We sincerely hope that Nadia’s initiative will inspire other young persons to start their own Walk for Hope in their own areas, or find other ways to lend a helping hand to the disadvantaged young women in our care and spark an international campaign to support the important goals of Omid. Anyone interested should contact Nadia for guidance and advice.

Let Nadia tell you about this initiative herself. Play video.

Come out with your friends and family and walk (or run if you prefer) in the San Diego sunshine starting and ending at Ocean Air Elementary School to support the underprivileged young women at the Omid. Members from women’s groups, service organizations and cultural centers are invited to attend as are parents, students and children. The course is 5 kilometers, a little over 3 miles, and will feature live entertainment, activities for children, and refreshments. There will be official race T-shirts, raffles for gift baskets, and business booths promoting their services. The date, time and venue are: - Sunday, 21 September 2008, registration from 8.00 am, run/walk at 9.00 am. - Ocean Air Elementary School, 11444 Center Heights Drive, San Diego, CA 92130.

• Students: 10 US Dollars (15 US Dollars after 14 Sep)
• Adults: 20 US Dollars (25 US Dollars after 14 Sep)
• Registration fee includes an event T-shirt and pre- and post- run/walk refreshments
• Click here to download the registration form
• Mail the completed registration form with your check to Nadia Farjood, 10638 Amberglades Lane, San Diego CA 92130, USA (issue checks in favor of ‘TPHS Key Club’)

• Click here to download the donation form
• Mail the completed donation form with your check or credit card details to Nadia Farjood, 10638 Amberglades Lane, San Diego CA 92130, USA
• Click here to make an online donation for the Walk for Hope 5K through the Omid website

A successful event becomes a reality because of the support and dedication of a passionate group of people and it is important to recognize the persons, whose diligent work made the Walk for Hope 5K a reality. Our special thanks go to:

• Sean Engineer, Alden Hozouri, Judy Li, Zoe Katz (Canyon Crest Academy Key Club)
• Michelle Chow, Alice Lay, Kimberly Ha (Torrey Pines High School Key Club)
• Tarlan Zaltash (Iranian Women Group of San Diego)
• Belinda Sztrom (Girls Alliance Club)
• Michael Montgomery (Torrey Pines High School)
• Farhad and Laura Farjood (Nadia’s parents)
• Forrough Farjood and Seddigh Bagherzadeh (Nadia’s aunt and grandmother)

But most importantly, our gratitude goes to Nadia, who made it all happen. She is a remarkable person who at the age of 17 has already embarked on her journey of community service and in the years beyond, will undoubtedly inspire and lead others to become compassionate, active members of society. She has a keen interest in woman’s causes and is planning to create a web site empowering women to learn about financial independence and to fight for feminism. Community service is a way of life for Nadia and it would be impossible to list all of her numerous accomplishments and contributions to worthy causes. She is president of her high school’s Key Club, has been recognized as the ‘Most Consistently Dedicated Key Club Officer’ in the 16-school Key Club region in San Diego, and was selected as a delegate to the California Governor and First Lady’s Conference on Women in 2007 and 2008. Her accomplishments include organizing basketball clinics for underprivileged children, raising funds for battered women and children, tutoring a disabled college student, teaching chemistry, biology and general science for grades 1-6 at an accelerated summer school, etc., etc. …….

None of this would have been possible without the financial support of our sponsors, to whom we are most grateful:

• Association of Iranian American Professionals
• Balboa International Market
• BioLegend
• Del Mar Kiwanis
• Girls Alliance Club
• Zaltash Family

• Walk for Hope 5K: Walk4hope@gmail.com, +1 (858) 3429561 (Nadia Farjood), +1 (858) 7759562 (Laura Farjood)
• Omid Foundations: info@omid-e-mehr.org, +44 (20) 75846949