Local Runners Members of Team World Vision

Ashley Boydstun will be running in this weekend’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon for her charity of choice, Team World Vision.

The Chicago Marathon attracts 10,000 runners who will raise money for charities, according to the marathon’s website. And more than 160 charities will benefit, it stated.

Boydstun, of Huntley, decided to run the marathon after hearing Team World Vision speak at her church, Willow Creek Community Church, which has locations in South Barrington and Huntley. She is running with Willow McHenry Runners, which has 53 members.

Team World Vision works with children, families and communities worldwide to help them gain access to some of life’s most essential resources, including water and sanitation, food and agriculture and education, according to its website.

Other facts about Team World Vision:

• The journey to and from the nearest well can takes hour, much of it is spent carrying a heavy jug of water.
• Poverty isn’t the only result of inaccessible water. The water that women and children walk hours to get is often dirty and diseased.
• Families drink dirty water because it is all they have. They need it to survive. But dirty water and poor sanitation also are killing them.
• 4,200 children die each day from dirty water.
• Infections from poor sanitation and hygiene affect 2 billion people.
• 3.75 million people die each year from water-related causes.

To donate, visit Team World Vision or Boydstun’s site.