Hope or Die
What makes athlete-activist Jonathon Prince run from one side of the country to another all in the name of giving?
Lisa Birch
Life is simple for Las Vegas native Jonathon Prince. He lets his will lead, then his feet follow. Literally.
Almost near the end of his third run across America, Prince's latest campaign called Hope Or Die took off October 15, 2009 in Santa Monica, Calif., with plans to finish up 2,927 miles away in Washington, DC. Sponsored by Nike, Spira Sportswear and Ortholite, Prince's third mission will donate proceeds to six benefitting charities, including Habitat for Humanity, Bread for the World, Global Green USA, Water.org, the Girl Effect, and Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps.
Jonathon Prince brands himself a "social athlivist," an athlete-activist who uses running to ignite change in others. He also seeks to change the image of philanthropy.
"Sure there are people who have done this before, but I think I'm more branded and youthful.... I'm giving humanitarianism a cool type of vibe so people can see you don't have to be older and in a suit before you start to give back. No, you give back now. Whatever you do in your career, just tie it back into philanthropy."
"You can die over some BS..."
It all started five years ago when Prince had a vision to help recovery efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims, so he packed up a few of his belongings and headed straight for the Gulf Coast.
Interstate 10 from southern California to the other side of the country would definitely be a straight shot, but it was a trip that would take much longer than usual. He was determined to do it on foot.
With sponsors like Nike and Energizer, and supporters everywhere, Prince launched Run4Relief and ran solo from his home in Studio City, Calif., through New Orleans and on to Atlanta, pushing an athletic baby stroller filled with bare necessities. He ran 2,706 miles and raised $10,000, giving all proceeds directly to Habitat for Humanity to help build homes.
On this, his first cross-country run, Prince picked up lots of accolades, was awarded the key to the City of New Orleans, and received humanitarian honors from his alma mater Clark Atlanta University and the
City of Atlanta. He says running through the Gulf Coast was unforgettable; he saw firsthand how deplorable the conditions were for many of the people he would help. But he says his most humbling experience on the run was sleeping outside in Texas.
"It was that long stretch between El Paso and San Antonio. I felt like I was gonna die. It was very cold," he remembers. "I'm a firm believer that anything can happen to you whether you're living your life's purpose or not. So you can die over some BS. But I thought that if I'm following my passion, there's no better way to go than this. I was in the middle of nowhere; had no communication...but I developed so much faith on my run. I'm not religious, but I'm a spiritual guy and before I closed my eyes I did my meditation and realized I had too much to live for. If God is in charge and he put this on my heart to do and I'm actually doing it, then I have too much to do before my time is up, and it's not going to end like this. That put me at peace. I was able to close my eyes and wake up...and keep running." he remembers.
Concerned about the broken state of the hurricane ravaged region still one year later, Prince started another run in 2006. Run4Relief continued with momentum as media coverage from major outlets like CNN, USA TODAY, Good Morning America, BET's 106 & Park and others helped draw greater attention to his efforts. This time he raised $110,000 in financial and in-kind contributions and ran 2,815 miles from Atlanta to New York City and back down to Pass Christian, Miss, the small town that was the focus of his second cross-country run.
"I did my research," says Prince about why he chose to give to the inconspicuous little town located along the Gulf of Mexico. "A lot of people know about Biloxi, Miss, but not too many people know about Pass Christian. It was completely destroyed, and I wanted to make sure people didn't forget them."
A Block, A Mile...
When he's not running along the countryside, Prince makes his living as a camera operator in southern California.
Raised by his mom along with his two brothers, Prince was approached by a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity while in high school and soon became involved with the organization's Leadership League. He closely observed the fraternity's involvement in the community and realized the group would allow him and other kids his age the opportunity to go places and see things they normally wouldn't be able to experience on their own. He also joined the Martin Luther King Youth Committee, which took him on his first college tour road trip.
When it comes to running, Prince admits he's a late bloomer. A passion for the sport wasn't planted until his college days at Clark Atlanta.
"I dated a girl who used to get up every morning at 5 or 6 to run. She'd ask me if I wanted to go and I'd always say no. I never ran with her, but in the back of my mind I always admired her discipline," he recalls. "It wasn't until I moved to LA in 2003 that I changed my lifestyle and decided to take up running. I've always been active in sports like football or volleyball, but I never ran track. When I started to run a block, a mile, a few miles a day, it made me feel good and my energy level lifted up."
Dream and Go!
Today, some 5,000-plus miles later, Jonathon Prince is still on the move and his life is a demonstration of his zeal to finish strong.
Supporting charity is one thing, but what makes a man abandon all sense of normalcy and run for months at a time, literally, from one side of the country to another, all in the name of giving to others?
Lots of heart...and hope.
"Hope or die is the reality for people on the street. It's the question you wake up with every morning, so it's really about choice. You can choose to let the dream die, or you can choose to hope and hold on to it and go for it. I'm running to inspire people to choose hope."
Yes, Prince loves to run. But with every stride he's pushing people to take that leap of faith and forget about the fear in the pit of their stomachs. He's made it this far by not letting unknown details stop him from moving forward and he gives that same advice to others. In the mind of Jonathon Prince, you just have to dream and go!
For more information or to support Jonathon Prince, visit www.hopeordie.org.
©2010 VERTICAL FIX, LLC
