Kickstarter

I am making a documentary film about a program through the YMCA in Cleveland, OH called We Run This City.
From the We Run This City Website: "We Run This City Youth Marathon Program is a collaboration between the Y of Greater Cleveland, the Cleveland Department of Public Health, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon. The 14-week program strives to teach young people to set and achieve goals by preparing them to run in the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon."

The documentary will follow students as they commit to running the 2011 Cleveland Marathon 10K.

While this project will showcase the students' progress throughout the program, which in the past has included 72% of participants feeling better about their bodies, the film will also show the harsh realities of students who have reported that their neighborhoods are unsafe for outdoor activity. One student who took part in the program was shot, rendering him paralyzed from the waist down.

Despite the obstacles of encouraging healthy behavior in an increasingly unhealthy society, WRTC has remained steadfast in changing the lives of hundreds of students since the program was created in 2006. This film will give audiences an intimate look at the challenges facing this inner-city non-profit as well as the students desperately in need of a healthy lifestyle.
Equipment: Sony Professional HVR-A1U CMOS High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom Sony High Definition Minidv Videocassette (2-Pack) Sony NP-QM91D Lithium-Ion Battery ProAm 8' Boompole & Shock Mount Azden Barrell Shotgun Mic Rode Deadcat Microphone Wind Muff