Team members commit to raising $3,000 to help WITNESS’ work supporting human rights activists use video to create change. As part of the team, you’ll receive perks like free online training registration, a personalized jersey, fundraising support, and invitations to special events. Running the marathon is a feat in and of itself — and joining a charity team makes it even more special.

Want to know what it’s like? Check out some of these testimonials from last year’s team members:

“It was, by far, one of the best and most rewarding experiences of my life. The accomplishment of not only physically and mentally training for months, coupled with raising money for such a prestigious organization makes every mile and second of this whole experience completely worth it. Upon crossing the finish line, you truly feel beyond euphoric and proud!” – Olivia Schum

“I’m not sure if I would ever had run a marathon were it not for Team WITNESS. Running for a cause and with a team gave me the motivation to make such an ambitious commitment, because it was not just for myself, but for the great work that WITNESS does. It was an amazing experience I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.” – Madeleine Bair

“You have to raise a lot of money, which seems impossible at first, but is totally doable. WITNESS provides great support to help you meet your fundraising goals as well. And of course, the orange WITNESS race singlet is awesome.” – Dan Verderosa

Interested in running? Email alexandra [at] witness [dot] org for more details.

WITNESS and its partners visited courageous American seniors in their homes to document their poignant stories about abuse, neglect and exploitation. With the video footage we produced a short documentary, An Age for Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America and over 100 video testimonies. These films and short messages were then sent directly to Congress with a request to pass the EJA.

While health care reform captured the national headlines, the EJA unquestionably deserves our attention. When asked about provisions of health reform that received little fanfare, former Health and Human Secretary Kathleen Sebelius pointed to the EJA — legislation that gives our nation a solid framework to protect seniors from being beaten, neglected and exploited. She stated, “[The Elder Justice Act] has been an issue talked about for a very long time . . . . It’s now the law of the land. It was part of the underlying Senate bill, and I don’t think many people have ever focused on the fact that this is an important step forward for seniors in America.”

The EJA is the most comprehensive federal legislation ever enacted to combat elder abuse. The EJA authorizes increased federal resources and leadership to support state and community efforts to prevent, detect, treat, understand, intervene in and, where appropriate, prosecute elder abuse. It also authorizes funding for broad-based education and awareness efforts.

We are grateful to all those who shared their story. As Pat Smith, one of the courageous seniors so succinctly states, “I don’t think this is an issue people like to think or talk about.” Video advocacy and the passage of EJA take us one step forward in making elder abuse a national conversation.

Want to learn more about current efforts to protect American elders? We spoke with Marci Phillips, the Director of Public Policy at the National Council on Aging (NCOA), on World Elder Abuse Day.

Image: Video still from ‘Age for Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America.’