Akshat Mehrotra
Upcoming Races:
Chicago Half Marathon – September 11, 2011 – Finished in 2 hours 15 minutes 25 seconds.
Bank of America Chicago Marathon – October 9, 2011
Miles run this season: – 100+
Thanks for visiting my webpage and considering to donate for a great cause.
This is my first marathon season. My longest run before this season was 3 miles. Going from 3 miles to 26.2 miles is not going to be easy. I decided to run this year as a challenge to myself and to raise awareness about Asha’s efforts to improve basic education in India. Just recently I completed the Chicago Half Marathon and it was a unique experience. Almost 12000 runners and just as many supporters cheering you on as you run on Lake Shore Drive next to Lake Michigan. It was out of this world. The full marathon will be twice the challenge but hopefully twice the reward 
I train every week at Busse Woods and with your help we can make a big difference. Any and all donations count. If you can not donate money, please donate your time: spread the word, volunteer an hour through ASHA’s WAH program or find other ways to help out.
According to UNESCO, India currently has the largest illiterate population of any nation on earth. About 35% of world’s illiterate population is Indian. Based on historical patterns this may go over 50% by 2020. We must break this pattern. Education is a basic human right. Education is key for socio-economic progress. ASHA has been helping children in India’s slums, with over 93 projects in 10 years. Marathon training is our largest fund raising program. Over 500 runners have trained and completed marathon or half-marathon raising more than $1.2 Million towards education of underprivileged children in India. In all, Asha has touched lives of 300,000 children in India from 385 projects in 22 of India’s states. The Chicago chapter of ASHA is involved in 8 current projects. The details can be found here.
I ask for your support to make it successful and worthwhile. Suggested sponsorship levels are:
- Sponsor Full Marathon: $100
- Sponsor $3 A Mile: $78
- Sponsor $2 A Mile: $52
- Sponsor $1 A Mile: $26
I am a zero overhead runner with ASHA that means all the donations made will go to ASHA. All donations are tax deductible. Again, thanks a lot for your generous donation.
To Pledge, please click on “Donate”
About ASHA
Asha for Education is an action group with a primary focus on basic education in India. The broader mission is to catalyze socio-economic change in India through the education of underprivileged children. The objectives of this group in India are:
- To provide access to education for underprivileged children in India
- To promote universal education and decrease child labor
- To support grass roots initiatives in deprived and marginalized communities in India
- To address, whenever possible, other issues affecting human life such as health care, environmental and socio-economic issues, women’s issues, human rights issues, etc.
The objectives of this group in the United States are:
- Raise resources & awareness
- Encourage volunteer learning & leadership
- Provide opportunities to contribute to socio-economic change in India
Help Me Reach My Goal!
Please click the donate button to pay by credit card.
Alternatively, mail cheques payable to: “Asha for Education” with “
Team Asha 2011 - Akshat Mehrotra” printed in the memo to:
Asha for Education, Chicago Chapter
P.O Box 2283
Chicago, IL 60690-2283
Donations to Asha for Education are tax-deductible under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Tax Code
