We’re thrilled to share the press release below about Ashley Horner’s latest efforts to support the Maison Fortuné Orphanage in Haiti!

ASHLEY HORNER EMBARKS ON JOURNEY TO COMPLETE 50 IRONMANS IN 50 DAYS FOR THE MAISON FORTUNE ORPHANAGE

ASHLEY HORNER TO BECOME the FIRST WOMAN TO COMPLETE 50 IRONMANS IN 50 DAYS TO RAISE AWARENESS AND FUNDS FOR THE CHILDREN OF HAITI

New York, NY – July 30, 2018 – On August 12, Ashley Horner, a fitness celebrity, athlete, entrepreneur and mom of three, will begin her journey to be the first woman to complete 50 full Ironmans in 50 days to raise awareness and funds for the Maison Fortuné Orphanage (MFO) in Haiti. Ashley will start and end in Haiti and travel to each of the 48 Continental United States, each day completing a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride, and 26.2-mile run, with the goal to raise $100,000 for MFO.

“Fitness is the driving force of everything I do and feel like it’s my responsibility to use my platform for a bigger purpose, a purpose for good,” said Ashley Horner “I fell in love with the people of Haiti the first time I visited – their spirit, storytelling, and pride for being Haitian will inspire me as I do my small part for the children at Maison Fortuné,”

The MFO Foundation raises funds to support the Maison Fortuné Orphanage in Haiti, serving the needs of orphans and underprivileged children. Each day, MFO, serves more than 700 meals, teaches more than 300 children, and provides stable homes for close to 200 boys and girls. Ashley recently began working with MFO and has visited the orphanage many times with her own children. In 2017, Ashley raised $65,000 for the foundation by completing a 230-mile run along the western border of Haiti.

“Maison Fortuné is proud to have Ashley Horner as a partner and friend, as she embarks upon her endeavor to complete 50 Ironmans in 50 Days,” says Lefort Jean-Louis, founder of MFO. “Ashley continues to put her commitment to our children into action, and like Ashley, we believe that the power for change comes from the community.”

Ashley is no stranger to pushing boundaries. She played soccer on the Guam national team, has sold over one million copies of her fitness training programs and owns American Sled Dogs, a fitness facility in Virginia Beach, VA. In-between her entrepreneurial endeavors and raising her three boys, Ashley has completed many other charity fitness events to benefit families of fallen military members, police working dogs and victims of human trafficking. In the last year and a half, Ashley has completed a 1,350 mile bike ride, climbed Mt. Rainer and ran 230 miles in 72 hours, all for charity.

Ashley’s journey begins on August 12 and ends on October 4 in Haiti. To donate to Ashley’s fundraising initiative click here and to learn more about Ashley’s visit www.ashleyhorner.co.

We are constantly amazed by MFO partner, friend, and donor Ashley Horner.  Since she first started helping our orphanage she has been a fearless champion of the MFO kids, developing relationships with the boys and girls, as well as the entire Hinche community.  If you’ve followed the MFO story over the past few years, you know Ashley sets big goals and then crushes them!

In the Spring of 2017, she ran ​230 miles ​around the western border of Haiti, planning to raise $28,000. But Ashley never shirks a challenge, so when the $28,000 goal was reached during the run, she doubled-down and increased the goal to $56,000!  Seventy-two hours after starting, Ashley and her supporters had crushed the new goal and raised over $64,000!

Her involvement is more than raising money, though. Ashley is committed to our MFO community.  She believes in our efforts, whether it’s welcoming children from the community to attend our primary school or making sure we lift up the local economy by shopping locally for items we need to support the children.  She knows we are raising the future leaders of Haiti and through her repeat visits (including with her own boys), she has seen the need first hand and knows that local involvement is crucial to the orphanage’s success.  She also understands that a little money goes a long way, and a lot of funding can go even farther.

“I fell in love with the people of Haiti the first time I touched down.  Their spirit, their storytelling, their sense of identity around being Haitian.  It will inspire me as I do my small part to bring awareness and funds to create opportunities for the children at Maison Fortune,” said Ashely.

So this year when Ashley said she wanted to do another fundraiser, we knew she would go all-in. And is she ever!  Soon Ashley will launch a 50-day warrior woman effort – completing 50 Ironman challenges in 50 days, to raise money for the children of Maison Fortune.  It’s a Herculean challenge – one that is already receiving national attention, including a feature on USA Today.  We couldn’t be prouder of Ashley, or more appreciative of her commitment to the children and the future of Haiti.

Look for more news about the Woman of Iron in the coming weeks!