Annual Event Benefits Iraq’s Most Vulnerable, Voiceless Children

Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF) Chairman Jonathan Webb announced today that ICF will be holding its third annual “IN THEIR SHOES” 5K run/walk on Saturday, May 9, 2015, at Cameron Run Regional Park in Alexandria, VA.

“Our annual 5Ks have been lifesavers for initiatives in Iraq to provide food, tutoring, clothing, emotional care, and other support to very vulnerable orphans, street children, and those displaced by violence,” Webb said.  “The events of the past year since our last 5K just underscore the scope of the challenge in addressing the deep needs of these kids who have suffered so much trauma and hardship.”

The course at Cameron Run Regional Park is USTAF certified for competitive runners but is also family friendly for those who prefer a fun run/walk.

Sponsorship opportunities for the 5K are available.  For details, please contact us at [email protected] or 703.963.3832   Registration begins March 1.

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ICF, SOCCER SALAM PARTNERS SEND EMERGENCY AIRLIFT OF WINTER SUPPLIES, 1,000 SOCCER BALLS FOR IRAQI CHILDREN & FAMILIES FLEEING ISIS

December 19 – An airlift of five tons of emergency winter aid and 1,000 soccer balls left the US today, headed to Iraq for delivery to extremelyvulnerable children and families displaced by ISIS violence in Iraq.

The Soccer Salam initiative, launched December 9 with a Thunderclap social media reach of 330,000, is making its first delivery of emergency aid to Iraq. The cargo includes 1,000 sleeping bags purchased in bulk with donations and 1,000 blankets generously donated by Northwest Woolen Mills. The 1,000 soccer balls are a special gift to Iraqi children who deserve a chance to play, even in the harshest of circumstances.

“We couldn’t have done this without the extraordinary cooperation of Another Joy Foundation and Boeing,” said Jonathan Webb, ICF Chairman. “We are grateful they recognized the urgency of the crisis and facilitated this airlift.”

An estimated 2 million Iraqis have been displaced this year, including hundreds of thousands of children. The humanitarian aid aboard today’s flight was made possible by donations from ordinary Americans, a $10,000 gift from MBC Heritage of Islam Trust, and major gifts from the Khudairi Group, Lake Oswego Rotary, and DynCorp International. ICF also thanks American Rec, Northwest Woolen Mills, Franklin Sports, and YRC Freight for help with logistics and supplies.

The Iraqi Children Foundation proudly salutes its Soccer Salam partners: , Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC) Karadah Project, Goals and Dreams. All four nonprofits are led by American veterans working alongside Iraqi expatriates, young people, and other concerned citizens who have a heart for the children and families of Iraq.

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Organized under the “Soccer Salam” banner, a coalition including the Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF) and three other U.S.-based charities today kicked off a social media campaign to mobilize emergency winter aid to Iraqi families fleeing violence and to deliver 1,000 soccer balls to vulnerable Iraqi children who deserve a chance to play.

“The winter needs in Iraq are urgent,” said Jonathan Webb, Chairman of the Iraqi Children Foundation. “Those of us who served in Iraq came to love the most vulnerable and voiceless children of that country and they are suffering. We have to act now. The time is short.”

Erik Gustafson, founder of another member of the team, the Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC), added: “Two million Iraqis – including hundreds of thousands of children – have been forced to flee their homes this year.  Now these innocent victims of violence are facing a second major threat: winter.”

“In 2007, Iraq overcame massive odds to win the Asia Cup, uniting Iraqis across the country and inspiring us to found Goals and Dreams,” said Sean Atkins. “Children in communities fractured by violence are easily drawn into the fray as they grow up, with few outlets to step outside its destructive cycle. Sport is unique in its ability to bring people and communities together.”

Another Soccer Salam coalition leader, Rick Burns of Karadah Project International, observed: “It is easy to look at crises around the world as distant, macro events. Unfortunately, each of the estimated 2 million displaced Iraqis has a face and a name. They are involuntarily displaced into harsh conditions, often with small children and limited access to assistance. Soccer Salam is focusing its efforts on those in greatest need.”

The Iraqi Children Foundation and the Soccer Salam coalition express their deep appreciation to the MBC Heritage of Islam Trust, the Khudairi Group, Lake Oswego Rotary, and DynCorp International for their generous sponsorship donations, and to American Rec, Franklin Sports, Northwest Woolen Mills, and YRC Freight for their assistance with the logistics and supplies for Iraqi children and families in need.  Businesses or organizations interested in sponsoring should contact [email protected]

For further information, visit http://soccersalam.org/

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Vulnerable boy flees ISIS into loving arms of heart doctors

The Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF) announced today that it has provided an initial $11,000 grant to the Iraq Health Aid Organization (IHAO) in Baghdad to provide emergency food, milk, mattresses, or other support to children and families fleeing ISIS to Baghdad.

“We salute IHAO for their humanitarian work in bringing relief to these desperately vulnerable children and families in Baghdad,” said Jonathan Webb, ICF Chairman.

“IHAO leadership and staff have been wonderful partners, serving as front-line responders to this crisis and meeting basic human needs with compassion.”

In a much needed boost to morale, a story unfolded of a young Iraqi boy with a serious heart problem who became the child who ran from ISIS danger into the arms of loving doctors. First discovered by IHAO staff and examined by a doctor working alongside them, the boy was transported within days to an Iraqi hospital where a visiting US cardiac surgery team happened to be in residence. The boy later emerged from successful surgery and intensive care, with a newly mended heart. For heartwarming pictures, visit IHAO’s Facebook page.

Reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) estimate more than 70,000 IDPs have fled from ISIS to Baghdad. An Iraq Ministry of Education spokeswoman in Baghdad, cited by the Washington Post, reported that an estimated 60 percent of Baghdad schools are now being used as shelters for IDPs.

ICF salutes IHAO again for its emergency humanitarian work with IDP children and families. And ICF expresses appreciation to both IHAO and the Preemptive Love Coalition for making hope possible for one very lucky boy who needed a mended heart.

To join ICF in helping Iraqi children and families fleeing ISIS, please visit our Razoo donation site. Thank you for being a part of our team to help the Iraqi children and families during this time of crisis! Questions? Contact [email protected]

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Thanks to an outpouring of support from generous donors, the Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF) and its Iraqi NGO partner donated nutritious food packages to 185 destitute homes with orphans and street children in the Baghdad area.


“The number of families we helped this year was more than triple the number of families we were able to help last year,” ICF Chairman Jonathan Webb reported. The majority of the families are headed by widows, some of whom who have as many as 6, 7, or even 8 children under their care. And many families are IDPs (internally displaced people) after a decade of war that preceded the latest dangerous crisis now facing Iraq.


ICF’s Iraqi NGO partner in this project – the Iraq Health Aid Organization (IHAO) – provides widows with training to create their own home businesses, like sewing, hairdressing, or a small shop. Also included in the food distribution were families of desperately poor orphans and street children who attend a Center ICF supports. The Center provides tutoring, meals, emotional care, and other services to these vulnerable children.

ICF expresses its special appreciation to the Iraq Health Aid Organization for its partnership and outstanding work in carrying out this humanitarian project, and also to Ms. Nawara Omary who organized a special event at her art gallery in Virginia to raise more than $800 for the project.

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$40 feeds a widow, poor family with orphans, street children 

The Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF) today launched an appeal to raise $5,000 for special food packages for destitute families and widows with orphans and street children.  The packages will be distributed during the month of Ramadan.

For less than the cost of dinner out for two here in the US, a generous package of basic food necessities can be delivered to these children and their families.


What’s in the package? No luxuries.  Just basic nutrition:

* Rice
* Lentils
* White Beans
* Cheese
* Powered Milk
* Pasta
* Tomato Paste
* Salt
* Sugar
* Oil
* Tea


We invite you to join us in making a donation of $40, $80, or more to sponsor one or more food packages for these families.   Go online or scan the QR code below.

Our goal:   $5,000 by midnight Friday. June 27!

Please help us by liking our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/IraqiChildrenFoundation) and sharing this campaign with friends.

While international and Iraqi NGOs address the urgent challenge of relief for thousands of new IDPs (internally displaced persons) in the north of Iraq,  ICF remains deeply committed to showing love and support to the very vulnerable orphans and street children still suffering from (and in many cases displaced by) the last war.

*Pictures above feature 2013 distribution

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A very special thanks to all of our runners and walkers, our 3 Ambassadors, Gold Star Mothers, Iraq veterans, the local Iraqi-American community, the Khudairi Group, Triple Canopy, BH Defense, The Children’s Village, DynCorp, Blue Bay International.

Iraq’s Ambassador to the United States Lukman Faily (right), was “Distinguished Guest Runner” for ICF’s 2nd annual “IN THEIR SHOES” 5K to benefit Iraqi orphans and street kids.


Amb. Faily was joined May 10 by former Iraq Ambassador Samir Sumaida’ie and Ambassador and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Richard Schmierer (left). Also at the 5K were Gold Star Mothers of fallen soldiers, Iraq war veterans, and prominent members of the Iraqi-American community.


Bailey Fouse, 15, (right) with Spire Running’s student team won the 5K at 20:02.

Co-winners of the contest for the largest 5K team were Triple Canopy (pictured below with Amb. Faily), and the Spire Running student team, both with 15 members.

Jonathan Webb, Chairman of the ICF Board who served in Iraq, said after the 5K:

“It is hard to measure the sacrifice that so many Iraqis and Americans have made over the last decade. The Gold Star Mothers bravely strive to move forward despite immeasurable pain. Those buried in Arlington cry out for someone to finish the job. May we receive the grace we need to enable us answer that call in some small way. We begin with the children. In them all nations find their hope and future. May God bless Iraq. May it never again suffer as it has these difficult years.”

The Iraqi Children Foundation thanks our generous Premier Sponsors who donated $5,000 each to help some of the most vulnerable and high risk kids in Iraq today:

Standard Sponsors who each donated $1,500 included: The Children’s Village, DynCorp International, Blue Bay International, Old Town Creek Consulting, and Financial Planning Partners.

For more pictures of the 5K and the people who made this day special for Iraqi kids, go to ICF’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/IraqiChildrenFoundation

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MEDIA ADVISORY

The Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF) will host its second annual “IN THEIR SHOES” 5K fun run/walk at Cameron Run Regional Park in Alexandria, VA, on Saturday, May 10, at 8 am.  The 5K will benefit desperately poor Iraqi orphans and street children after years of war.   Iraq’s Ambassador to the US Lukman Faily will be the Distinguished Guest Runner.

According to a December 2012 UNICEF report, there are approximately 800,000 orphans in Iraq today.   Many orphans and other displaced children work on the streets or in other dangerous environments to support widowed mothers or extended family. This humanitarian crisis poses a threat to the future security and stability of Iraq.  Unless effective action is taken in the next 5-10 years, many of these children – especially those in desperate poverty – may reach adulthood without help for the trauma and suffering they have experienced, leaving them vulnerable to extremists, criminals, and human traffickers.   The Iraqi Children Foundation’s “IN THEIR SHOES” 5K is focused on raising awareness of the suffering, poverty, and vulnerability of these kids and mobilizing loving support for food, tutoring, emotional care, and more to address their basic needs.

• WHAT: “IN THEIR SHOES – 2014” 5K fun run/walk
• WHEN: 8 am, Saturday, May 10, 2014
• WHERE: Cameron Run Regional Park, 4001 Eisenhower Ave., Alexandria, VA
• DISTINGUISHED GUEST RUNNER:  Ambassador of Iraq to the United States. His Excellency Lukman Faily who just participated in the Boston Marathon
• WHO: ICF Chairman and Iraq war veteran Jonathan Webb; ICF President Elizabeth Phillips who served at the US Embassy in Baghdad; former Iraq Ambassador to the US and UN Samir Sumaida’ie; US Ambassador and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Richard J. Schmierer; Col. Paul Bricker (US Army, Ret.); Gold Star Mothers of servicemen/women who died in Iraq: distinguished members of the local Iraqi-American community, and youth from local area schools.  Premier Sponsors for the 5K include the Khudairi Group, Triple Canopy, and BH Defense.   Additional standard sponsors will be featured at the 5k.

#  #  #  #

The Iraqi Children Foundation is a US-based nonsectarian tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charity, based in Falls Church, VA, whose  mission is to mobilize a life-changing surge of love for Iraqi orphans and street children suffering from years of war and violence.  For more information, visit www.sicfiraq.org

Note: Word document of the media advisory: 5K Media Advisory 2014

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“We are so honored to have Ambassador Faily as a special guest runner at our 5K to benefit Iraq’s most vulnerable children,” Phillips said.  “I served at the US Embassy in Baghdad and haven’t forgotten the people of Iraq, especially the children.  ICF is passionate about providing food, tutoring, clothing, emotional care, and other support to these kids who have suffered so much from years of violence.”

ICF’s second annual “IN THEIR SHOES” 5K will be held at Cameron Run Regional Park in Alexandria VA, on Saturday May 10, 2014, at 8 am.  The course is USTAF certified for competitive runners but is also family friendly for those who prefer a fun run/walk.

Corporate sponsorship opportunities for the 5K remain available.  For details, please contact us at [email protected] or 703.963.3832

To register online, go to http://sicfiraq.org/wp/events/in-their-shoes-5k-fun-run-2014/   Those preferring to mail in their registration may print and mail the attached form.

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A $1,200 matching gift, offered to the Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF) at Christmas by an anonymous donor, mobilized an additional $1,200 to provide winter jackets, pants, and sweaters to 85 Iraqi orphans and street children.

Among the children were 60 boys and girls who attend the Center that so many of ICF’s generous donors support with their gifts. In addition to the clothes, the Center provides tutoring, healthy meals, recreation and emotional care for orphans and street children.

One witness to the project reported “indescribable joy” in the eyes of the children as they received brand new jackets and outfits to fend off the winter chill.

The Iraqi Children Foundation wishes to express its deepest thanks to the anonymous donor as well as the Khudairi Group and others who donated to give the gift of warmth to these vulnerable children. 

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