Be an inspiration to yourself. Self-motivation is the basis for inspiring others. These are the words that Garvey Buchongo, a freshman at Califonia State University, Sonoma lives by.
During a track meet several years ago, Buchongo was inspired to launch The Freedom to Run Project, a charitable organization that aims to collect used shoes, spikes and other donated equipment for underprivileged youth around the world. Her organization collected over 40 pairs of shoes to benefit underprivileged children in Barbados
“When I asked my mother why [some children] were running barefoot, she said that they couldn’t afford shoes,” Buchongo said. “As I got older I realized that this is the reality many are faced with on a global scale.”
Buchongo, a Hercules High School senior, may not have had a father growing up, but since age five, she has had her track-and-field team, which she calls “the village that raised me.”
Track and Field taught Buchango how to overcome challenges, and the value of community support from her mother, coaches and uncles.
