The day marking the 25th anniversary of the World Harmony Run was a sunny one for Seattle. Our Seattle Harmony Runners were invited by Willi Austin and his Austin Foundation to celebrate the day. The Austin Foundation mentors  youth in low income communities on health and fitness training provides safe and positive places to learn and train, and leadership opportunities for the youth.  They fill an especially critical need as after-school programs, PE and lunch programs are cut due to further cuts in education budgets.

We met at the "Fitness in NOW Center", where the Austin Foundation offices are located. At their gym free weights and every conceivable fitness machine imaginable is assembled for the youth training fitness programs. Trainers and staff joined us for a photo with the torch in the gym and we enjoyed a moment of silence and then a smoke alarm!

Willi Austin himself is an award winning power lifter has great respect for the heavy weights that Sri Chinmoy was able to lift.  Both lifting extremely heavy weights as well as inspiring peace and oneness in the world-family requires more than just physical strengh but also a deep source of spirit that embodies patience, perseverance and love.

We watched together the World Harmony Run Retrospective video and afterwards planned our first steps together as a TEAM...turns out that June 23, the day the World Harmony Runners enter Seattle is also the day of Austin's biggest event of the year! The "Youth Fitness Challenge" will be held outdoors at everyone's favorite venue, Green Lake! Also an ideal setting for a around the lake scenic torch relay.

So today we celebrated an important anniversary and new friendships and partnerships for peace.  Thank you Willi and everyone at the Austin Foundation.
Daulot  Seattle USA

Video Message from Davidson Hepburn, President (2009 - 2011) of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for 25th Anniversary of the World Harmony Run and a vision for the decade: "Toward a Oneness-World".

Full Text of the 25th annversary message and link to 25 language informal Translations: http://www.worldharmonyrun.org/25

• Youtube video on African experience which illustrates IYY slogan "Our Year Our Voice" International Year of Youth - Zambia World Harmony. They surprisingly mention Presidents and UN Secretary-General in a unique way!

• Listen to the World-Harmony-Run song: 2 min version // 6 min

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