Around the World in 95 Days
By Diana Vilibert
"If I can make a difference and create that awareness, then I feel I have done my bit in my lifetime," says Melissa Moon, one of the runners selected out of 300 applicants, who is no stranger to volunteering for a good cause.
The 37-year-old special-needs teacher from Wellington, New Zealand, a self-proclaimed peacekeeper and potato-lover, has worked at a soup kitchen for seven years, delivered Meals on Wheels, helped out with Project K and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and is now doing relief teaching at the Compassion Centre in Wellington.
An international runner for 12 years, Melissa has traveled to more than 30 countries. It was during her travels that she realized the importance of safe drinking water. So when a friend e-mailed her about Blue Planet Run while she was in Nigeria, where she experienced firsthand the need for clean water, Melissa jumped at the chance to participate. Naming her hero and inspiration as the Dalai Lama, Melissa tells the Blue Planet Run Foundation that she has compassion and understanding for the suffering that exists in other parts of the world.
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