9-year-old Virginia boy raises $65K for children with cancer by running 120 miles: 'There's no age limit to make a difference'
VIENNA, VIRGINIA: A 9-year-old child is determined to make an impact with his running.
Matteo Lambert from Vienna, Virginia has been training all year through and has run over 35 races while wearing his iconic cape to raise money for children with cancer. He has run races ranging from 5ks to 10ks and has made it around 120 miles.
As reported by Fox, Lambert shared, "Running really wasn’t that hard. And, it’s nothing compared to what kids with cancer experience."
He began on his running journey after his father had connected with the founder of Hopecam, which is an NGO that provides webcams to child cancer patients to keep them connected to their friends and classmates.
Lambert had decided that it was a good opportunity to use his passion to help others who need it.
"My goal was to run, originally it was 100 kilometers and $5,000, but I decided to run 100 miles because most people don’t appreciate what a kilometer is," the 9-year-old quipped. A 100 miles would be equivalent to around 160 kilometers.
Lambert gained a large fan following on Facebook and was able to raise more than $65,000 till date, and counting. His Facebook handle goes by the name 'Matteo Runs'.
He is also starting his own organization to encourage other people to help out too. He has named it the 'Off the Charts Club'. He has done so in order to help kids get off their medical charts. The name was also inspired by a picture that featured Lambert who was so short that he was off the height chart at basketball tryouts.
Lambert is currently working with the CORE Foundation in order to launch his nonprofit.
Executive Director of the Core Foundation, Taralyn Tharp Kohler, said, "CORE foundation fiscally sponsors volunteers in the community, volunteer leaders that have big hearts and big ideas. And Matteo really mirrors that with his vision and values."
Lambert shared that his aim is to prove that "there are no age or size requirements to make a difference." He added, "I want kids with cancer to feel good and not alone, and know that I have their back."