Run Saniyah Run to host Lunch with a Purpose on December 6

With the goal of raising money to support families of children and teens with special needs, Run Saniyah Run will host a Lunch with a Purpose from 12 to 2 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 6, at the Clubhouse in Baywood.

Lunch costs $40, and the event will include raffles, silent auction items and more, all to benefit Run Saniyah Run.

Founder Gia Holden Love moved to Sussex shortly after her daughter Sania died at the age of 11.

Sania was born with multiple disabilities, including cerebral palsy, microcephaly, autism and epilepsy.

“She may have been born one way, but she had this strength, this strong spirit, and she could make anyone smile,” Holden Love said.

The reality of raising a child with special needs can mean a long, hard struggle. When a child ends up dying, the grief and anger can be overwhelming.

Holden Love understands all emotions very well. “Parents suffer a lot when they spend every moment worrying about their child,” Holden Love said. “It’s the hardest journey, and parents need all the support they can get.”

After Sania’s death, Holden Love needed a change. She knew she couldn’t stay in the house much longer, so she sold the house and moved south, preparing for a new lease on life.

She found her new home in Sussex County, a new passion as a small business owner — she owns Na Na’s Cotton Candy Cloudz — and a calling to help other parents with children with disabilities through her nonprofit Run Saniyah Run.

Holden Love said the name comes from an inside family joke. “Family members would encourage Sania to run while she was valiantly trying to master walking – always with a smile on her face.”

Today, Holden-Love can be found working with partners from New Castle County to Sussex County to raise funds. Her organization’s financial support includes in-kind services and volunteer hours.

Run Saniyah Run is a Delaware 501c(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Lewes. It has an amazing staff and volunteers statewide.

The organization helps parents and guardians of children with disabilities by providing free services and resources such as: parental “me” time; financial aid; Life skills and job training for adults with special needs between 18 and 25 years of age; Light cleaning; Minor home repairs; fast food vouchers; Car Maintenance; entertainment; Assistance with medical issues; Assistance with school functions and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs); and counseling (grief, spiritual, financial, and marriage). These are provided through its database of partners and volunteers.

“In order to continue helping these families, we need to support our community, both financially and by utilizing the time we spend volunteering,” Holden-Love said. Every donation that comes in makes a difference.

For more information and to purchase lunch tickets, go to runaniyahrun.org, search Lunch With a Purpose/Coastal Delaware on Facebook or email lwpcoastalde@gmail.com and nfo@runsaniyahrun.org.