Once-homeless Teens Will Break Sweats for Others in Need
Run Will Benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America

   SAN DIEGO — Five residents of the Toussaint Teen Center (TTC) – a facility for homeless, abandoned and runaway teens managed by St. Vincent de Paul Village – will do their part to raise money and awareness for individuals living with irritable bowel disease (IBD) by participating in the first annual Hot Pepper Run on Sunday, March 16, at 8 a.m. The 1K, 5K, and 10-mile runs will be held on Lake Hodges’ Mule Hill Trail, located on Sunset Drive, just off of Via Rancho Parkway and will benefit the San Diego and Desert chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).

   The five teens’ – Manuel, 17, Juan, 19, Jorge, 16, Zee, 17, and Jonathon, 17 – interest in running was piqued after arriving at the TTC and found it provided a release from the difficult life-situations they each faced.

   "They came to us scared, untrusting and with emotional scars," says Amy Chaffin, the TTC staff member who trains with the teens. "Running has given them an outlet, an opportunity to release the tension and hurt in their lives."

   Chaffin says all have blossomed during their time at the TTC. Juan, who received his high school diploma last year through the high school at the center, is now living in one of the five graduate suites reserved for residents who have completed the program requirements and are now enrolled in college courses. He says helping others is something he discovered during his time at the TTC.

   "The staff and teachers here really reached out to me," he says. "The way they cared for me and the other kids has impacted me and made me realize the value of lending a hand to people in need."

   In addition to already completing a half marathon and Sunday’s Hot Pepper Run, the teens are training for this year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.

   For more information on the run or CCFA, log on to www.hotpepperrun.com.

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