RUN KEN RUN

Recovering from a life of substance use and homelessness, stemming from traumatic childhood sexual abuse, Kenneth Anderlitch is the epitome of not letting your past define your future. Thankful for his recovery, Kenneth strives to live his life in gratitude and is always looking for new ways to give back. After taking up running as a distraction to giving up cigarettes, Ken found that he was a pretty good runner, even winning the first marathon he ever ran! 

To honor his mother (who he lost to overdose) on her birthday, and to raise awareness for the organization that helped to give him a leg up in his early recovery, Ken ran across the state of Texas. He began in El Paso the day after Thanksgiving and ran an average of 50 miles per day, completing his 840 mile run in 19 days and achieving his goal of raising $50,000 to benefit Pay It Forward SA, a local San Antonio non-profit whose mission is to provide access to safe, supportive sober living.

Pay It Forward SA operates 2 programs that provide low to no barrier access to safe, supportive, sober living. The PIF sober living dorm operates on the Haven for Hope campus and provides after-care sober living for those who have completed substance use treatment. In addition to the Dorm program, PIF also operates the Bridge program which provides scholarships to those in need to cover the move-in expenses of private sober living.

Ken now is an employee of Haven for Hope which is the largest transformational homeless facility in the US and is also where Pay It Forward provides services. Ken will tell you that he does not have much, but that he can run, and he is willing to use his talent and ability to make a difference in significantly impactful ways.  Since not only did he live in the PIF dorm on the campus of Haven for hope after completing substance use treatment, but PIF was also able to assist him with his transition into a community based sober living home, he has asked if he can run in support of our programs this year. 

Last year he ran from Austin to Corpus Christi in support of Child-Safe which is an organization that provides support and healing to childhood victims of sexual abuse and assault similar to his experience. He was able to raise about $17k for them in the 48 hours that he ran. 

As a beneficiary of both of Pay It Forward SA’s programs, Ken is excited to have the opportunity to give back to Pay It Forward in the hope that more like him can be given the same leg up that helped to change his own life.