Finding RBO is one of the best things can happened to me, I found them last year and I joined as volunteer, amazing free program who offers Saturday organized runs for kids and more. Each practice my heart felt more fulfilled to be part of this and saw the smiles for everyone, it’s blessing. I wish kids around the world can have access to have programs like RBO.
My son has been running with RBO for 2 years. I have been so incredibly impressed with how organized and well run RBO is. They have tons of volunteers so I feel great about my son running with them and know they are taking care of him at practices and races. My son has never been very interested in sports I think mostly due to the competitive nature of kids sports these days. RBO has been so encouraging and positive and it's really helped his confidence grow. He feels a part of the community and it's been a wonderful experience for him. He is discovering a love for running but more importantly he feels really good about himself!
Such an incredible program for the city of Oakland!
The volunteers are amazing and are great role models for the kids!
This is such a wonderful and inclusive program that pushes kids to do their best while meeting them where they're at. The coaches are great, and there's room for everyone to get involved to support the kids.
Running for a Better Oakland is a very engaging youth program! They help train students from all over Oakland to run 5k, 10k and even half marathon races and also provide free gear, shoes, and nutrition. On top of that, they even offer a scholarship program to the high school seniors. It is an amazing organization!
RBO is a wonderful organization bringing passion for exercise and safety for Oakland runners to the Lake Merritt area. It's easy for volunteers and community members to sign up and support, and the organization takes its commitment to equity so seriously that they provide shoes to all the participants. It's also one of very few community programs that is multi-generational and creates the opportunity for people to join as individuals (adults as volunteers, youth as participants) or for whole families to join. It's so nice to see an organization take on making Lake Merritt safe for anyone to run the well-known path around the lake, as well as creating meaningful opportunities for people to give back to the Oakland community, and creating the opportunity for families to spend time together while exercising. GO RBO!!!!
I've been volunteering with Running for a Better Oakland (RBO) for years now! The community is wonderful and encouraging!
I have been running as a run mentor volunteer with Running for a Better Oakland for two years. I have seen firsthand the joy in students who learn to set goals and accomplish them each week. Over two years, my set of students learned to run from a half-mile distance to complete a half marathon. Each week they ran farther than they had ever run before in their lives. My students don't have an opportunity to do team sports during the week. Running is their only weekly exercise. They are able to join our program because we offer it for FREE. RBO provides free running shoes and all of the race fees and transportation. It is a joy to inspire, mentor, and encourage the students to take each step each week. The students love the community of running as a group. They grow before your eyes as they start making their own goals and challenges. And as the season goes on, they take that self-confidence into their everyday lives.
If you're looking for a way to help your kids improve their physical, mental, and social health, while having fun; I encourage you to join Running For A Better Oakland! I have been a volunteer for a couple of years and will continue to volunteer as the organization is really making a difference in the community. The coaches are amazing and really care about the kids and the program is well organized.
My family and I have been running with RBO for over 6 seasons and absolutely love the staff and volunteers. They are really patient and kind individual. They often bring in guest speakers to encourage the kids and supply the kids with running gear when needed.
RBO IS AN AMAZING PROGRAM FOR KIDS RBO IS A PROGRAM TO HELP KIDS BELIEVE AND THEIR
ENCOURAGE EVERY STUDENT TO IMPROVE EVERY RACE SIMPLE RBO IS AMAZING THIS IS THE 5 year with RBO running their provide shoes, t- shirs, bras and a lot of more not a lot of programs that’s that for the kids I’m really happy to be part of it
Also give scholarships to seniors.
RBO is such an amazing organization. They train kids as young as five years old to make running a part of their lives, but that is not all. They also provide access to races, mentorship, shoes, clothing and a community. I love seeing whole families running and training together. My kids and I joined RBO when they were little and I didn’t think they could run a 5k. Six years later I have runners and I can no longer keep up with them. It has been an honor to be a part of this amazing and dedicated group which is one of the best organizations to serve the families of Oakland and beyond.