A cause to run

Release date: 2/23/2010

Fort Lauderdale, FL (February 23, 2010). Evan McFall, a junior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School completed his first half marathon on January 31, 2010. Evan completed the course in 1:40:29, finishing 440th out of 11,251 runners, placing him in the top 4 percent in the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon.

"The best part of the race was finishing it," Evan says. "I did better than I expected." He set a goal of competing in the 13.1 mile race, but he also wanted to help a local charity. He raised $850 from family, friends and supporters of Children's Home Society of Florida (CHS). "It's a good charity that I've volunteered for in the past, and I know they will put the money to good use. They help kids throughout the county and the state of Florida. I'm hoping more people will learn more about what they do."

Evan is a member of the Varsity Cross Country and Track teams at Douglas High School. Under the direction of Coach Stephen Kalos, Evan started training in November with friend and fellow teammate Edwin Duboulay, who also completed the half marathon. "We have a great running program at Douglas, so we basically run all year long. Our coach gave us additional training workouts to prepare for the race<" Evan says. "The first few miles were great; it was still dark and you could see the cruise ships lit up. Then we ran through South Beach. At about mile 7, the race got worse." Evan is thrilled he ran the race and met his goal but isn't planning on participating in another marathon anytime soon.

Created in 1902, CHS is the oldest and largest statewide private not-for-profit provider of services to children and families in Florida. The Intercoastal Division, established in 1967, serves 1,500 children and families in the Broward County area each year through a full spectrum of prevention and intervention programs. Services include foster care, adoption, child development, children's emergency home, parent education, counseling, reunification, and more. CHS, which served more than 97,000 children and families throughout the state in 2008-2009, is headquartered in Winter Park, Fla., and offers services in more than 100 locations by more than 1,500 staff members dedicated to providing child-focused, family-centered care. CHS is the second-argest nongovernmental not-for-profit in the United States and Canada accredited by COA.

No clients shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Clients needing accommodations for a disability and/or clients with special communications needs should contact their Children’s Home Society of Florida worker or make their request for accommodation at the time of admission into a Children’s Home Society of Florida program.

CHILDREN'S HOME SOCIETY OF FLORIDA, REGISTRATION #CH180, IS REGISTERED WITH THE STATE UNDER THE SOLICITATION OF CONTRIBUTIONS ACT. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.