The SRLA 2021 - 2022 Impact Report
SRLA supporters made a big impact in 2022. During a season filled with challenges, big and small, your support helped our students overcome it all to reach their marathon goals.
The last school year marked a difficult transition from virtual to in-person learning. Luckily for the 2,796 students who joined SRLA this fall they found leaders eager to help them navigate the return to the classroom and fellow students who were ready to take on challenges by their side.
Through your support, they found a team.
The new season also brought new goals as SRLA students returned to in-person races.
Your support brought SRLA runners to a new race every month. These events gave students a roadmap to the marathon. With every run they accomplished a greater goal, gained confidence in themselves, and set their sites even higher.
These races provided more than just an opportunity to run. You brought students to discover parts of Los Angeles that they had never seen. You helped them discover the beauty and diversity in their own backyard.
“I am glad that I decided to join SRLA because it feels nice to go into different parts of LA that I have never been before on foot…”
Then came the big day. On March 20th, 1,825 SRLA students toed the start line of the Los Angeles Marathon. 26.2 miles later, 99% of SRLA students crossed the finish line in Century City!
And the finish line was just the beginning. As Kimberly, a senior from Garfield High School who completed 4 marathons with SRLA, summarized:
“[SRLA] showed me that the race does not end at the end of 26.2 miles.”
As the 2021 – 2022 season came to an end, students walked away with new habits that will improve their physical and mental health for a lifetime.
“I hated the idea of running and I could not comprehend how people do it for fun. The first practice I ever went to almost killed me. But I began to go more and more each day. It got to the point where I enjoyed running every single day and I could not wait to run.” - Jose, Huntington Park High School
You helped SRLA students discover a new passion for being active…
In the beginning of the season, 66% of responding students reported being physically active just 3 days or less each week, with 13.5% reporting that they never exercise at all during the week!
By season end, those numbers were flipped, with 67.2% of surveyed students reporting that they engaged in physical activity 4 or more days per week. Even better, 89% of students reported continuing to be physically active even after the SRLA program ended!
Beyond helping students improve their physical health, you gave them an outlet to escape from their stress and improve their mental health.
“To me, running is not just running. It takes me to another mental place. It helps me think through my struggles and helps me make the right decision. Running feels as if I leave to another planet. It makes me feel like I’m the only person there.” – Jocelyn, Garfield High School
You helped students develop the grit and determination they needed to make it to high school graduation and beyond.
“SRLA opened my eyes not just to new experiences but to new possibilities.”
Students applied the lessons learned on the race course to the classroom.
· 98.5% of SRLA seniors graduated high school
· 93.7% of these students have plans to attend college in the fall
· 78.0% of these students are the first generation of their families to go to college
SRLA Students will be attending UCLA, Stanford, California Institute of Technology, UC Berkley, local community colleges, and many more institutions of higher learning.
Your support provided students with the materials and resources that they needed to achieve their dreams – at the marathon and beyond. You have set students up for success in this marathon called life. Thank you for your continuing support and generosity.
We hope you’ll join us in supporting our students again this season. There are so many ways to get involved – ways to give, pass the baton club, sponsorships, volunteer, run a SRLA race!