CARE PRESS RELEASE: Sweating a way to a better world

Work out on the Mall in solidarity with marginalized women and girls. Every hour you exercise, Eric Harr will donate $5 to CARE

Contacts: Rick Perera, 404-457-4649 / rperera@care.org or Allen Clinton, CARE, 404-457-4635 / clinton@care.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 11, 2008) – Professional triathlete and fitness author Eric Harr says getting in shape can be the easiest way to help fight global poverty.

Harr is leading a 7 a.m. workout session, to express support for marginalized women and girls worldwide, on the Mall on June 18. He’s also sponsoring the I Am Powerful Workout, through which Harr donates $5 to the poverty-fighting organization CARE for every hour each participant exercises.

All you have to do is sign up at www.care.org/workout and log your hours via e-mail. Work out five hours this week and you will have automatically raised $25, towards the goal of $1 million in support for CARE from Harr.

Members of the public are invited to join CARE supporters from across the U.S. for Thursday’s workout. All participants will be entered in a drawing for prizes -- two winners will get 12 months of personal fitness coaching by Harr. And he’s keeping his own personal pledge by training for the Ironman Triathlon World Championships, to be held October 11, 2008.

Harr was inspired to launch the I Am Powerful Workout when he traveled to Mozambique with CARE to visit health and nutrition programs, meeting women who are struggling against huge obstacles to pull themselves and their communities out of poverty.

“Here in the US, we are facing an unprecedented health crisis in the form of obesity and physical inactivity,” he says. “At the same time women in the developing world lack access to basic services to improve the health of their families. This workout addresses both of these issues in a very special and emotional way.”

The Warm Up

On June 18^th and 19^th, Harr will join other supporters from across the country at CARE’s National Conference in an effort to engage policymakers in the fight against global poverty. Harr kicks off the conference with the Thursday morning workout – encouraging participants to log their hours in support of CARE.

About CARE

CARE fights global poverty by empowering marginalized women and girls to bring lasting change to their communities. Visit www.care.org for more information.