Event Coverage Highlight

Photos displayed in remembrance of James Foley at a memorial service in August 2014 in Rochester, New Hampshire. Photo: McCollester/Getty Images

The following is a letter from the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation.

As a journalist, you know how difficult and sometimes dangerous the job can be. The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, formed in honor of Jim Foley, who tragically lost his life in Syria in 2014, works to protect freelance conflict journalists and press freedom through international collaboration with all stakeholders, including ACOS (A Culture of Safety Alliance) The Foundation also works to support families of American hostages and to educate the public regarding the silent crisis of hostage taking.

On October 15th, 2016, the foundation will again be holding the James W. Foley Freedom Run, a simultaneous local 5K run in Rochester, NH, along with a virtual run, where participants run alone or in groups around the world. All virtual runners will be mailed t-shirts, which we hope you will wear proudly and perhaps consider posting pictures on social media to highlight our cause. In 2015 close to 1,000 runners ran or walked the Foley 5K in Rochester, NH, while over 1,000 more participated virtually, representing almost every state in the US, as well as runners on 5 continents.

We are asking you to join a group of your fellow journalists as part of the 2016 James W Foley Freedom Run’s “Journalists for Freedom”, to showcase this cause. As professional journalists, you understand how important the issues of freedom and safety for journalists are to all of us. By joining this group, you help us highlight our cause and the James W. Foley Freedom Run this October.

Helping us with this request couldn’t be easier. You can either go to www.FoleyRun.org and sign up, or email us at foleyfoundation5k@gmail.com to sign up. We will put you on the list of Journalists for Freedom and share the list on social media. We will mail you a t-shirt. During the weekend of October 15th, 2016, you can put on the shirt and run/walk for Jim and the freedoms he held dear, wherever you are in the world (nobody will check how far you ran!). Please consider sharing it on social media, to help us highlight the cause. Your help could not be simpler, and yet, more vital to getting the word out. Your support is vital to us in terms of encouraging others to participate and in helping remember Jim and to support the Foley Foundation. We hope you will join us. If you have any questions, please contact us at foleyfoundation5k@gmail.com, or you can call our Run Director, Walter Hoerman at 603-828-2688.

The Foley Freedom Run Committee & The James W Foley Legacy Foundation