Rising Hearts December Blog Updates
We made it to the last month of the year! December is here and as we roll into the winter months and family time, we wish you a restful and rejuvenating time. As we reflect on this year, we have done so much heart work and so many activations with YOU, our community. We are so proud of the events we’ve brought back this year and even the new opportunities and programming that we’ve accomplished! All we would have not been able to accomplish without YOU! Thank you so much for all your support and love for 2025! We are dreaming up an even bigger and better 2026 and we hope that you’ll be a part.
Please see below for updates and community. If there is anything you would like to promote please reach out to lex@rising-hearts.org.
NEXT AWARENESS + ACTION EVENTS:
+ DC Premiere of Run In Beauty - stay tuned
+ March 1-8th: 6th Annual Running On Native Lands 5k, 10k, Half Marathon
+ April 20th: 3 Boston Marathon Runners - anyone running the Boston Marathon already, wants to run for Rising Hearts? Reach out. We can reimburse you your registration fee and offer a stipend and help us raise funds for the race!
+ April 22-26, 2026: 4th Annual Earth Day 5k and Plogging!
+ May 1-6th: 8th Annual Running For Justice 5k, 10k, Half Marathon | Marathon for Justice
+ June 20-30th: #LetThemRun Pride 5k
+ July 1-12: Disability Pride 5k
We are up to so much! And we are applying for more funding and we will keep raising funds as we go to keep us running in all ways. Wopila tanka, many thanks, to all of you for your support, and we look forward to our hearts moving forward together.
- Rising Hearts
CHECK IT OUT!
We had 13 runners at the Every Women’s Marathon and all of them crossed the finish line!
! Make sure to check out our most recent blog to read through their run reflections and see our sponsors!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our annual Truthsgiving 4 mile and 2 mile event!! From your support, we are able to donate back to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness. We look forward to 2026 - see you next year!
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe: $2,000
Wabanaki Public Health And Wellness: $2,000
RISING HEARTS AT THE RUNNING EVENT
Rising Hearts showed up at @therunningevent ! And what an incredible time we had with friends and community. Lots to share and reflect on —— so stay tuned for a more in depth blog! Below is what we held at TRE.
Building Kinship with Rising Hearts
Wednesday, December 3rd
In a world where movement often mirrors life, the running community has become a space for both refuge and reckoning. This panel explores the evolving relationship between brands, communities, and the individuals redefining what it means to show up and belong. We’ll unpack the heart work of kinship together: honoring differences, moving through challenges with care, and showing up with intention to foster connection and joy for the outdoor and run spaces.
With a focus on meaningful collaboration, safe and inclusive environments, and authentic storytelling, each panelist brings a grounded, lived perspective on what it really takes to invest in community—not as a trend, but as a commitment. Growth doesn’t happen in comfort. Let’s lean into the uncomfortable, the real, and the radically human.
Panelists include:
Cal Calamia / @calcalamia of @2hot4hoodies and @nbrcsf
Carolina Rubio-MacWright / @carustol of @touchinglandorg
Jordan Whetstone / @nativein_la of @rising_hearts
Daryl Murphy / @stretchmurphy of @milesforjustice
Zach Friedley / @trailblader of @borntoadapt
Moderated by Lex Saenz, @lexxsaenz of @movementwellness_
GIVING TUESDAY
We hope you are well and in good spirits. We are doing our last few pushes for donations to reach our $10,000 goal by 12/15/25 to put towards compensation for our Programs Coordinator position, travel / lodging stipends, and gear for our athletes and community. For Team Rising Hearts x Every Woman’s Marathon, we have all the runner’s a special Rising Hearts Yeti Mug - now, we want to make it available to you for a $55 donation!
2026 Wishlist List:
+ Submit 10 applications and hope we get 5!
+ Looking for sponsorships of our events / runners - please reach out for partnerships / sponsorships!
+ Fund the founder’s position for at least part-time work since the amount of work has increased
+ Create 1 more film - fully funded
+ Create commercial / storytelling opportunities with brands featuring community!
+ Increase representation of Indigenous runners, Charity Runners, and our Running With Purpose Athlete Advocates at more races and events to be part of
+ Send 4 Athletes to the Boston Marathon
+ Send 2 Athletes to the NYC Marathon
+ Send 20 Athletes to the Every Woman’s Marathon
+ 2026 The Running Event in San Antonio, TX - we are seeking sponsorships to send 10 of our athlete advocates to join, RH booth, and host our Kinship Building workshop/panel
+ Host a local running retreat for our Running With Purpose Athlete Advocates in the Fall ‘26
+ Host local running retreat with 2025 Every Woman’s Marathon runner’s in Spring ’26
+ Organize our virtual/in person run/walk/movement events!
+ 10 Charity Bib runners for Rising Hearts with our partner, The Wander Project (see below for more information on how to become one!)
+ 35 charity runners for Rising Hearts for any race of their choosing / dedicating their race to Rising Hearts as a fundraiser with our RH Charity runner GiveLively link that any runner / athlete can use to raise funds for by creating own account - Each runner will receive a Rising Hearts singlet, GUdies, and if needed, free pair of shoes!
RISING HEARTS:
We are an Indigenous led organization, elevating community voices through meaningful kinship, movement, advocacy and storytelling.
We empower communities by fostering intersectional collaboration, promoting cultural resilience, joy and creating meaningful change for the next generations. Through our programs, we inspire collective action, elevate Indigenous and community centered narratives, creating safe and supportive spaces, continuously learn and show up how we can, and mobilize support for those in need.
Much of the heart work we prioritize is cultivating kinship with brands, companies and groups, while creating meaningful collaborations with the Rising Hearts athletes, community partners and broader movement community.
Our Programs:
Running On Native Lands Initiative
Running With Purpose Athlete Advocates
Rising Hearts Stories | Filmmaking
Virtual Movement Events | Race Organizing
Charity Runners for Rising Hearts
Workshops / Panels and DEI Consultations
Learn more about our programs we have and what we consult on and collaborate on. We’ve received a few small grants to support our work for which allows us to compensate our teachers and voices we amplify through our programming and supporting our Athlete Advocates.
Wopila tanka, many thanks!
RUN REFLECTIONS
Lee Laydon | Running with Purpose Runner
This past year for me can be compared to a gnarly long run where the water runs low quickly, guts feel shaken, and where the weather turns dark unexpectedly.
No matter the situation, though, I learned that over the last year I could always count on my feet, my family and road crew, and my community.
In September I joined an amazing group if BIPOC and queer runners for the We Run Long Camp in Buena Vista, Colorado for the West Line Winder 50k trail run. Rewind two years ago, September 2023 was the restart of my running journey—it started with an 5k—and I’m so proud of how far I have come.
This year I have been reminded how critical it is to run with other BIPOC and queer runners, take up space in running spaces, and continue to honor ancestors as we pray with our feet.
With gratitude, I am thankful to be a part of Rising Hearts and I hope to run with more relatives soon!
COMMUNITY
Move Together
”This past Wednesday, we hosted the Move Together end of year celebration. It was a night centered around community and conversations about improving our society through running. The night ended with a documentary premiere that showcased the year of work we completed with Move Together. Each month of 2025 we hosted a walk/run at a public school to create a safe space for the people in those communities to walk and run in a welcoming environment. This was one of the best experiences I have been part of as a run community leader. I am looking forward to 2026 and continuing the work of getting more people in the community to move together.” - Daryl “Stretch” Murphy
FUNDRAISE FOR RISING HEARTS
Reach out to us via email, info@rising-hearts.org. Share with us your plans, then we’ll set you up with the link!
Want to run for Rising Hearts?
This is more new for us! We have a givelively link specifically for runners/individuals, who want to raise funds for the heart work we do! If it’s not through our partnership with The Wander Project, or our other partners at CIM or Boston, you can run for Rising Hearts at any race you choose and bring more fun and purpose to your why and the run.
We hope to get 35 Rising Hearts runners for 2026 and raise $30,000, collectively ! And we have 8 runners now, confirmed :)
Suggested fundraising limits:
RH Athletes / Community = $500
Open to Community = minimum $800
Perks: RH Singlet, merch, stickers, fuel, and if shoes are needed, we can help you!
PODCASTS
Mangodada
A podcast on how joy, sport, and culture keep us grounded and free. And available on Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to listen, share, and review!
IG: @mangonadapod
Hosted by Vanesa Chavarriaga and Carolina Rubio-MacWright
The Origin Story:
Vanesa and Carolina have teamed up to create a culturally responsive podcast on all things Latinidad, immigrant joy, and resistance, and outdoor sports.
This is more than a podcast. It’s a declaration to activate community. We belong in every space, from snowy peaks to mountain trails, from the city to the fruit stand. Mangonada is community, movement, resistance, and culture, en una sola mordida.