Travis Parkyn raised an amazing $4,040 for San Diego Youth Services through his Facebook fundraiser and ran 39.1 miles to help inspire people to support San Diego's most vulnerable youth!

Q: Why did you decide to support SDYS?

A: One of my acquaintances, who is a supporter of SDYS, told me about the organization and shared that SDYS has a great reputation for helping children in need. I liked that SDYS helps children, because if you provide support to them from a young age, they become independent as adults and will not need to relay on services when they are older.

Q: Tell me more about the fundraiser you did for SDYS?

A: Other than raising money and awareness for a great organization, I also wanted to accomplish something I’ve never done before. So, I decided to run from Oceanside to Ocean Beach Pier, which is 39.1 miles to inspire people to support SDYS. I ran the whole way, and I did not walk once.

Q: It seems like you are really trying to help children in need?

A: I wanted to support those that need our help the most, and helping our children means helping our future. I’m interested in philanthropy and I believe that underprivileged children and those without a stable home environment often get overlooked. I would like to help as much as I can to help our youth build their futures.

Not all people are given the same chance in life. I hope I helped raise awareness for homeless children in San Diego and all children that are suffering from abuse and exploitation. This is something that we, as a society, need to come together to talk about, and something that should be at the top of the news every day.

I want to know that I tried my best as a human being and helped people in need. I want to bring joy and happiness to people that are struggling.