Rotary president nominee runs for a cause

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — Jose Guzman Jr., the president nominee for Bloomfield Hills Rotary Club, recently completed a 10K for Picking Up the Pieces through the Bloomfield Rotary Club. Guzman completed the run May 24 and collected a total of $3,200 in donations.

This is not the first time Guzman has run for a cause, but it is the first time in four years. He said he has been doing it on and off for the last 20 years. Other causes he has run for are the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team In Training, the Houston Food Bank and Gleaner’s Community Food Bank.

Picking Up the Pieces is a charity in Detroit that helps families transition from homelessness into having a home. They help the families design stable homes with donated furniture and other household essentials.

Shana K. White, the founder and CEO of Picking Up the Pieces, said, “That money is going to go towards families that have just transitioned from homeless to housing and some of the items that we buy to help make their house a home. Also, we are in need of a box truck, so some of those funds will go towards that as well.”

White did not know that Guzman was doing this fundraising until the day of the race. She said she cried when she found out.

“I just woke up to tears, because I don’t take it lightly at all,” White said. “Just very grateful that somebody believes in the mission just as much as I do. Stability matters, and it matters to Jose.”

Guzman trained for eight weeks for this 10K and chronicled his journey through blog posts. His blog can be found at joseisrunningforacause.wordpress.com.

He said he always tries to encourage people who are interested in running.

“I’m glad I was able to do it. I did it healthy, and that more importantly, through my work with Rotary, I’m looking to do this for other causes. So I’m definitely looking forward to at least doing this twice a year,” Guzman said.

The Bloomfield Rotary Club has not picked a cause yet for Guzman’s next run.