Runaway Bridesmaids Hit Hoboken Streets to Fight Human Trafficking

Think you can run? But can you run in a taffeta dress? On Saturday, Sept 27, 2014, bridesmaids are leaving their posts at their girlfriend’s altars and hitting the streets of Hoboken, NJ. Beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Pier A on the waterfront in Hoboken, men and women alike will take a 1-mile lap around the Mile Square – in their dusted off dutiful gowns of days past.

The fun run’s proceeds will benefit Airline Ambassadors International, a 501(c)3 organization, sponsoring an anti-trafficking training program for airport personnel at Newark Airport, a major hub of human trafficking. According to a Fox News report, FBI agents rescued 16 sex trafficked child victims and arrested 45 offenders during the 2014 Super Bowl held in East Rutherford, NJ.

The run debuted (and raised nearly $11K) in Manhattan during the 2012 New York Road Runners Fifth Avenue Mile along Central Park. Co-founder Holly Corbett, who is responsible for bringing the run across the water, said, “There were female police officers ‘cat-calling’ the men in dresses!”

Corbett, a Hoboken transplant from New York and professional writer, co-created the event with girlfriends Amanda Pressner Kreuser and Jennifer Brennan. The three girls met in the Manhattan media space and co-quit their jobs to travel the world and chronicle their adventures. This resulted in a Harper Collins-backed memoir “The Lost Girls” (available at Target, Barnes and Noble, Amazon and other major retailers) and an intimate look at how girls live in less developed countries.

Their eye-opening experience volunteering abroad, as well as cramped Manhattan closet space going to worn-once attire, prompted a run in bridesmaids dresses to raise awareness for human trafficking. Additional money raised will support New Light, a shelter for the children of sex workers in India’s biggest red light district.

This year’s run will be a part of the 4th Annual Hoboken Pump and Run, a 5K that begins with a bench press. An after party will be held at Little Town NJ, 310 Sinatra Drive.

The race fee is $45 – those who wish to register for the run can go to http://tinyurl.com/pbfm5bh and choose the third option Runaway Bride 1 Mile Fun Run. Others who wish to fundraise for New Light can log on to crowdrise.com/runawaybridesmaids.

The individual who registers for the race and raises the most amount of money on Crowdrise.com will win an all expense paid volunteer service trip to Columbia, Haiti or Guatemala.

“Runaway Bridesmaids is all about having fun with your friends and connecting with the community while doing something that makes a difference,” Corbett said. “Human trafficking is a $32 billion dollar industry, and supporting Runaway Bridesmaids lets you have a real impact by helping a shelter for children vulnerable to the sex trade and training travel workers to catch a criminal.”