RunFAR (Run for African Relief) is a great way for anyone to get involved with Covenant Mercies, and help orphaned children rise above poverty. Participants can run, walk or hike any distance of their choosing and raise money for Covenant Mercies. The funds raised through RunFAR help provide children in Uganda, Zambia, and Ethiopia with an education, healthcare, mentorship, and more. The RunFAR Challenge is a competition between church teams to see which team can log the most miles and raise the most money. 

Registration is free! Please click HERE to register or register with your church’s team leader. After you sign up, we’ll send you an e-mail with participation details and helpful fundraising information. If you would like a RunFAR shirt, we ask that you reimburse or raise at least $25 to cover the cost of the shirt with shipping.

You can pick any day during the month of October to complete your challenge. Donations must be received by October 31 to count toward your fundraising total.

That’s your choice as well! You can walk or run in your neighborhood, favorite nature preserve or even on a treadmill. You can participate with a friend or do it as a family activity. It’s completely up to you!

On the challenge day of your choice, please record the distance of your run as best you can using a free running app like Runkeeper, Map My Run or Strava, or take a photo of your treadmill display after your workout. We encourage you to wear your RunFAR t-shirt as you participate and take a selfie! Then send your photo and results to us at runfar@covenantmercies.org. With your permission, we may share your photo on social media to encourage others to participate!

We encourage you to think broadly about your relational networks. Are there neighbors, family members, classmates, or co-workers who may be interested in supporting the ministry of Covenant Mercies? After you register, we will send you a sample fundraising letter and a PDF flyer that you can send out to prospective donors. Past participants have also had success creating Facebook fundraisers and reaching friends and family members through social media.

Online: Visit our donation page. Fill in the donation amount and select “RunFAR” from the Campaign box. Enter the runner’s name in the box that asks: “Is this gift in honor of someone?”

Checks: Checks should be made payable to Covenant Mercies and include the runner’s name and “RunFAR” in the memo line. Checks can be mailed to: Covenant Mercies | One Fellowship Drive | Glen Mills, PA 19342 

Yes! The winning church/team will be determined by a combination of distance completed and fundraising totals, using the following calculations:

1. We’ll add the total distance completed from the top ten longest race routes submitted by each team.
2. Then we’ll take the top ten fundraisers from each team and add an additional mile for each $50 raised through fundraising.

RunFAR donations must be received by October 31 to count toward your team’s total. The winning team will be announced the first week of November.

Yes! You can absolutely participate even if you’re not part of the team competition and you’ll still be eligible for the fundraising prizes.

Please send us an email at runfar@covenantmercies.org or call 610.361.0606, ext. 167.