Choose a team and help Us Reach the finish Line
It all started in 2015, when we held our first 5K fundraiser at our annual in-person board retreat. We were excited to try a new fundraising event while engaging in a bit of healthy competition; little did we know that it would turn into our second-biggest annual fundraiser down the road!
In 2025, we continue our tradition with some new runners joining our team! A group of us will be running together at the board retreat in the Hudson Valley, while the rest of our group will run in various parts of the country, and world! Our fundraising goal this year is $9000 - enough to support 10 students in their high school and college careers.
For this year’s Run for Change 5K, let’s celebrate the Ngäbe people that we work with, and use our privilege to lift up indigenous students as they continue to fight injustices and inequities in their communities.
For our 11th year, can we raise $9,000?!
As they say in Panama, “¡Dale pues!” // “Lets do it!” Pick your Run for Change team to support, below!
Run for Change 2025 Teams
Team Gertrudis
0% funded $0.00 of $600 raised
Tara is running for Gertrudis who is currently in 10th grade at David Medalla Milagrosa school. Gertrudis is interested in the environment and social sciences. She wants to study the interactions of humans and nature so she can become a leader in her community and help stop environmental pollution. Tara studied Natural Resources Ecology in undergrad and is deeply inspired by Gertrudis and her commitment to her community and the environment. Please consider donating to team Gertrudis so she can continue her studies and become the environmental advocate that our world needs!
Team eduar
0% funded $0.00 of $600 raised
Morgan is running for Eduar, a tenth grader at C.E.B.G. Lucas Barcenas in Burunga, West Panama. As a child, Eduar lived in and attended school in Panama City, where his classmates bullied him for being from the Comarca. Through hard work and the encouragement of his mom, Eduar showed his classmates that Ngäbe students are equally as capable at succeeding in school. Now, Eduar dreams of becoming an English professor and traveling the world. He also dreams of building a dining hall for school children in his community to combat childhood malnutrition. Donate to Team Eduar to support his final years of high school!
Team zeidy
0% funded $0.00 of $1000 raised
Brooks is running for Zeidy who is entering her fourth year of university. Zeidy is studying business administration with a focus on marketing at the Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí in David, Panama. Brooks and Zeidy met at the 2020 scholarship ceremony, where she talked about how much she had enjoyed her mathematics class the previous year and how she would love to meet Harry Potter someday. Donate to team Zeidy to help her keep excelling in her senior year!
Team dominga
0% funded $0.00 of $1000 raised
Abby is running for Dominga, who is going into her third year of university. Dominga comes from a large family, with 9 siblings! Her dream is for her family to have a happy life and to one day renovate their house, and for others in her village to do the same. She is studying for her bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources at UNACHI in David, and she is a fan of Charles Darwin’s theories on nature. After she graduates, she wants to dedicate herself to being a teacher, to help those who did not have the opportunity to enroll in school. Please consider donating to team Dominga so she can continue her studies and give back to her family and her community!
Team José mAnuel
0% funded $0.00 of $1000 raised
Tim is running for José Manuel
Team Floristel
0% funded $0.00 of $1000 raised
Amy is running for Floristel, who has been a Few for Change scholar for 6 years. While she’s always been confident and capable, we've enjoyed looking on as she's grown up, a highlight being when she gave a speech to motivate other students at the 2024 scholarship ceremony. Now, Floristel is in her third year of a Pharmaceutical Sciences program at the Universidad Latina de Panama, taking challenging classes like biochemistry and microbiology. Floristel wants to improve society and quality of life in the Comarca by improving individual health through training and education, and by serving as a positive example for other youth. She recently thanked FFC for our support throughout her educational career in this video! Let's get Floristel to the finish line of her degree!
Team yolesni
0% funded $0.00 of $1000 raised
Katie is running for Yolesni, who graduated from the Superior Pedagogical Institute of Juan Demóstenes Arosemena in Santiago in December of 2024. She is now qualified to teach primary school (grades 1-6) at any school in Panama! Yolesni chose to continue studying and is currently in a profesorado program that will qualify her to teach at the secondary school level (grades 7-12) in Panama. Yolesni has talked about wanting to be a teacher since her original Few for Change application in 2005, with a goal of improving the quality of education within the Comarca and to helping to eliminate illiteracy. We are excited to see her progress towards her goal! Donate to Team Yolesni to support a future educator!
Team Yeynel
0% funded $0.00 of $1200 raised
Ari is running for Yeynel who is currently in 10th grade at the school in Quebrada Guabo near where he lives with his family. Yeynel wants to attend university after high school to study biology. He is passionate about learning more about the biological diversity of plants and animals in the Comarca and appreciates the natural resources in his community. He hopes to help educate his community, especially children, on the importance of conserving natural resources and their Ngäbe culture, lifestyle, language and dress since they are already at risk of being lost. In addition to his interest in science, Yeynel has an entrepreneurial spirit - he creates intricately beaded bracelets and earrings and sells them in the community and at school. Yeynel is the grandson of Junta Directiva member Vianca and great-grandson of Junta Directiva Vice President Doris Gallardo who he wrote about in this scholarship application essay describing how he admires her leadership skills. Donate to Team Yeynel to help fund his last two years of high school!!
Team elmer
0% funded $0.00 of $1000 raised
Katya is running for Elmer who is a third year university student at UNACHI-CRUCHIO pursuing an Associate degree in Accounting. Elmer is determined to give back to his family by working hard in school and becoming a leader in his community. Despite facing challenges that affected his studies, his family's support has been a constant source of motivation for him to continue his education. Elmer would love to visit the United States to improve his English language skills! He would also like to travel to other countries and possibly study abroad. Support Elmer today!
Team Moises
0% funded $0.00 of $600 raised
Evan is running for Moises! Moises is entering his junior year of high school, at Escuela Buena Vista in Hato Ratón. Moises enjoys studying Spanish and reading and writing, which prepares him to help others. After graduation he wants to keep studying so that he can support development in his community. He wants to improve the education system and continue educating other young people. Donate to help Moises finish high school and achieve these goals!
Run for Change 5k Photo Gallery (2021-2024)
From the Blog: Cultivating Change
In Their Own Words: Few for Change students on COVID, remote learning, and the importance of the scholarship
Decolonizing Few for Change
Reflecting on access to education in a global pandemic
An Overview of Panama's Indigenous Communities: Part I - Western Panama
An Overview of Panama's Indigenous Communities: Part II – Eastern Panama
…and just for fun!
