My father, Mardig Herculian, was from Anjar, Lebanon, and died there unexpectedly in 2006.

He traveled to Anjar every year, where we still have a house and enjoy time with his relatives. He always returned in October in time for my birthday. 

In 2006, he suddenly fell ill and since the war had started with Israel, he was turned away from the hospital. 

My cousin called me on a Sunday night and told me that I needed to come now if I wanted to see my father before he died.

By God's grace, my brother, mother, and I were on a flight to Damascus less than 24 hours later and literally walked across the bombed-out border to Lebanon to see my father. My father was alive for another 12 hours before dying in our home that night.

As a lawyer, I am trained to be skeptical and charities are no exception. I was determined to find a charity I could trust to deliver funds to the intended recipients without wasting money. I was fortunate to discover the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR) which I have been personally supporting for over 10 years.  

I run 13.1 miles every year to keep my father's memory alive and pay it forward. 

All donations from my run will go towards food for Bird's Nest Orphanage in Beirut and the Armenian Evangelical Boarding School in Anjar. 

Please consider a donation of any amount; whether you can spare $5 or $50, it all adds up. Prefer to donate via Paypal? Visit here to make your donation via Paypal.

If you can't donate, please consider sharing my fundraiser with others. 

Talar Herculian Coursey, SOAR Salt Lake City Chapter President

_{Established in 2005, the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief provides humanitarian relief to orphaned Armenian children and adults with disabilities. With over 130 chapters and 600 volunteers worldwide, SOAR is the world's only charitable organization devoted exclusively to helping orphaned Armenian children. SOAR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Please visit here to learn more about SOAR's distribution methods and quality control protocol.}