RUN ACROSS MAY RUNNER PROFILES: MARTIN BLACK
Martin Black
Martin Black has been a long-time supporter of WORK, as well as the Run Across May. Participating in the fundraiser the past two years, Martin, a devoted cyclist, has cycled more than 800 miles to raise money and awareness for WORK.
Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Martin has supported WORK for many years, getting involved after working with both Executive Director, Vivien Luk and Director of Engagement, Christina Shanafelt through their alma maters. Regarding WORK’s mission and values, Martin specifically recognizes how important the sustainability programs they implement are, and continues to be blown away by their involvement with the environmental crisis in Haiti and plans to expand to different parts of the world. While resonating with WORK’s mission and values, Martin particularly appreciates WORK’s leadership and commitment to pursuing environmental justice.
With RAM, Martin raised over $1,500 with help from friends, family and colleagues. Martin attributes his fundraising efforts to being a “bird dog”-- his definition of zeroing in on a relationship in a very personal way. Martin emphasizes the importance of forming meaningful relationships with others in order to get other people involved with your story, or in this case, his RAM campaign. Though there are several reasons Martin is involved with WORK, he made sure to angle his “pitch” toward the individual by using different stories depending on their own passions: the environment, global health, social justice, public policy. By having in-depth, personal conversations, Martin was able to hone in on his donors’ interests to gain support, as well as encourage engagement. His story also allowed him to gradually involve other people with WORK, and his goal is to create a 20+ person team for the next RAM! It all starts with a single, evocative story, and often that is enough to inspire someone else to join a cause.
Martin hopes to spread more awareness and put a spotlight on the environmental crisis that affects everyone, not just the people in Haiti. He hopes to garner attention to a country plagued with environmental injustices so that eventually, they have the resources to improve their situation. When asked about his unique enthusiasm for Haiti, Martin profoundly recalled that similar to Haitians, “as a people [Americans] , we were born from a revolution”. Through his involvement with WORK, he wants to help people understand why that concept is so important as the organization continues to build across other countries that are also inspirations.