Saturday, Nov. 14: One World Run

Akado Head Teacher Lillian A. Obong’o (wearing a very fashionable iList Paducah T-shirt) with Project AIDS Orphan Director Paul Bilak

Registration is now open for the 2nd Annual One World Run! Run or walk the 5K loop (twice around Noble Park) with friends and fans of Project AIDS Orphan in Paducah — or run or walk a 5K anywhere!

One World Run is set for 9 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 14. A 1K is available for kids, so that, in essence, kids can run for kids.

Project AIDS Orphan (PAO) is managed by super cute Paul Bilak, who moved with wife Monica and their three children to LowerTown seven years ago from Kenya. They created the 501c3 organization to raise money to clothe, feed, educate and provide medicine to children living in the village of Kandaria, Kenya, and orphaned by the AIDS virus.

All the run’s expenses are covered by sponsors, so every penny of every entry fee ($18 for adults; $10 for kids) will go directly to support the children. Sponsors include Mark Vance and Rehab Associates Physical Therapy, Western Baptist Hospital, Lourdes Hospital, Grogin and Howard Surgical Associates, IDA Infectious Disease Associates, Respiratory Disease Clinic, Kyle Parrish Sports Medicine, Dr. Richard Smith, Horizon Media Group, René Advertising, Paducah Bank and iList Paducah.

All participants receive a totally cool T-shirt and lots of prizes at the end. Local care providers, churches and the run’s sponsors will set up booths and refreshments, and DJLJ will spin tunes!

To sign up, just go to the PAO Web site and follow the simple steps.

“With our work, and especially the One World Run, we want to remind people that AIDS is still an issue in our community and around the world,” Paul says. “Just because we’ve made progress, and medications now keep people healthy for a long time, that doesn’t mean we can stop talking about prevention, detection and social acceptance.”

A Little Background
The idea for PAO came about after the Bilaks returned to the US from Africa where Paul was working for a local missionary hospital. He became close friends with his supervisor, David Okong’o.

While the Bilaks were in Africa, David’s brother and sister-in-law died from AIDS, and David found himself responsible for his three nephews.

“He paid their school fees and other expenses, and we helped out occasionally,” Paul says. “When we came back to the States, we could help more. So we’d send a couple hundred dollars every now and then. Our family and friends took an interest in what we were doing, so we created this not-for-profit 501c3.”

Since then, PAO has focused its efforts on the poor community of Kandaria in western Kenya. The population of about 6,000 people gets by on less than $2 a day, and, because of the AIDS virus, 300 of the children are orphans.

PAO has provided mosquito nets and helped purchase cows, goats and chickens so that the villagers can sell milk and eggs. The group has also raised money to dig wells and install a play pump, which resembles a merry-go-round that pumps water into a tank while kids have fun playing on it.

Special Lunch Program Boosts Graduation Rates
Last year, PAO helped start a lunch program at the Akado Primary School, covering the costs of a rice and beans lunch twice a week. A local widow runs the kitchen and now, thanks to the money she earns, is able to afford to send her son to high school.

The enhanced nutrition has made a significant difference in the lives of the children. This past March, 98 percent of the students graduated and passed the national competency exam. Paul was there to help celebrate.

“We are very proud of their success – especially when compared to the 55 percent pass rate before we were able to provide lunches,” Paul says. “Never before had the community celebrated a graduation, but this year they were truly excited. All who spoke at the ceremony attributed the good performance to the lunch program, and we know the kind and committed teachers and principal played a great part in their success as well.”

Head Teacher Lillian A. Obong’o is a huge fan of PAO and the lunch program. “This program will go a long way to enhance learning in the school and hence improve the academic performance,” she says. “The children are equally happy with the program and we can see a healthy Akado community in the future as a result.”

PAO will continue to support the lunch program, along with making other improvements to education and healthcare — and Paul says there is still much to be done.

“We hope everyone in Paducah will come out for, and support, the One World Run,” he says. “It’s a very easy way to help make a very big difference in the lives of these children.”