Among the thousands of runners who participated in the Miami Marathon on Jan. 25 was a small group wearing blue Star of David’s on their shirts and running for a cause close to their hearts.
They ran as JCS Team Blue Card. The Blue Card is a nonprofit that provides direct assistance to Holocaust survivors and their team, in partnership with Jewish Community Services of South Florida (JCS), ran in honor of those survivors.
“Running for Holocaust survivors is, again, something very near and dear to my heart,” said Sam Chavin, who ran the marathon with Team Blue Card. “Being able to help people who can’t help themselves, people who have been through so much strife in their past. Running is something that comes easy to me, something that is just fun, and to be able to help at the same time is something beautiful.”
JCS services more than 400 Holocaust survivors in Miami-Dade County and together with Blue Card, they support about 3,000 survivors living in Florida. Funds raised through their partnership help with food assistance, case management and emergency support.