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PITTSFIELD — When most high school seniors are stressing about grades, standardized test scores and prom dates, two Pittsfield High School students are more concerned about donating their time to save the lives of others.
The co-organizers of the 1,000-Mile Relay, Daniel and Christopher Tweed-Kent are doing what they can to help thousands of children orphaned by AIDS in the Kingdom of Lesotho, a tiny country in the midst of South Africa with the fourth-highest rate of HIV prevalence in the world, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development.
"The AIDS pandemic has left this tiny country in despair — over 15 million children have been orphaned by AIDS worldwide, including 10,000 in Lesotho — with very little being done to combat the virus's rampage," reads a portion of a letter distributed by the Tweed-Kents.
In its third year, the 1,000-Mile Relay raises funds for the Touching Tiny Lives Foundation Safe Home in Mokhotlong, Lesotho. A nonprofit based in Kansas, the foundation seeks to create a community of health, healing and hope through the distribution of medication, outreach and educational programs and the development of support systems for those affected by the disease.
The Tweed-Kents, identical twins, learned of the organization after their sister, Ailis, traveled to Lesotho in 2005 to work at the home. Inspired to make a difference in the lives of people the PHS seniors call "our brothers and sisters suffering from the pandemic of AIDS in Africa," the Tweed-Kents worked with Touching Tiny Lives to organize their first 1,000-Mile Relay two years ago.
"It wasn't originally our idea. There's a similar event in Kansas but we took it over and brought it to Pittsfield," said Daniel.
The video below is from 2007: Held at Clapp Park for the last two years, the event will be brought downtown this spring to bring more awareness to the issue. A small section of North Street — from Park Square to Fenn Street — will be closed down to accommodate hundreds of walkers and runners who will collaboratively travel 1,000 miles.
"Walking is symbolic of solidarity with the children," said Daniel.
The organizers ask that each participant collect at least $55 in donations with an eventual goal of $30,000. Raising $22,000 last year, the brothers decided to set the goals for both participation and donors higher this year as the popularity of the event increases.
In conjunction with the June 1 event, the 1,000-Mile Relay weekend will feature two concerts — one a presentation of classical music by PHS alumni who have gone on to study music in college and one a benefit show by folk and rock band Barefoot Truth.
Barefoot Truth and Tony Lee Thomas will take the stage at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 31 and the location will be announced at a later date.
The "Alumni for Africa" show will take place on Friday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church.
"Five dollars can save a life. We are so blessed here with so many opportunities. If we just give a little bit of our time and a little bit of our income, it can make a world of difference," said Daniel.
The event takes place on Sunday, June 1, at 1 p.m. is open to all members of the community.
Below is an information sheet that can be printed out. If not supported by your browser, the document is also available by clicking here. Information is also available on the Touching Tiny Lives site.
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