All About Our Story
Our founder, Summer Willis, is a survivor of sexual violence. In the wake of her assault, she experienced firsthand the systemic failures, silence, and shame that often define the survivor experience. She began running as a bold act of reclamation. This personal challenge grew into Project 29 — a commitment to run 29 marathons as a testament to her own resilience. She met survivors around the world, each with different lives yet she observed the same pattern. She realized sexual violence thrives on shame, silence, and laws that haven't kept up with reality. Eventually, Project 29 grew into the Summer Willis Foundation.
Running was only the start. Summer found her true, renewed strength not just in the miles, but in community — in the power of telling her story without shame, and in a fierce new purpose: creating tangible change so that what happened to her wouldn't happen to others. She realized she had a choice: accept the narrative of "victim," or rewrite it. She chose to rewrite it.
Read More"I realized I didn't have to accept the story written for me. I could write my own."
— Summer Willis, Founder
