INDIANAPOLIS — Run with Wine CEO Anitra Harris is quick to point out that her nonprofit has nothing to do with wine.
“We're not a wine company,” Harris said. “It's a story. It’s your story, a metaphor. Running being a metaphor for wellness and wine being a metaphor for rejoicing.”
Harris founded Run with Wine in 2020 while still working as a CFO for a nonprofit. But Harris says something was missing.
“I wasn't really connecting to purpose,” Harris said. “I decided to retire as a CFO in 2022 and transition Run with Wine into a nonprofit, so that we could support women survivors in the community.”
The mission of Run with Wine can be broken down into three purpose-driven pillars: movement, holistic wellness therapy, and plant-based healing. The nonprofit offers specialized classes that focus on each pillar. Like a plant-based cooking class.
‘We don't eat enough plants in our society,” Harris said. “Scientists now know that what you feed the gut actually heals or can repair the brain, so we focus on feeding our gut so that we can fuel the brain.”
Or a Chicago Steppin’ class with help from instructor Victor James.
“Movement, mindfulness, and eating right, has allowed me to do and continue to do what I'm doing right now,” James said. “To see other people get it, and when they do get it, it’s life transforming. It really is.”
Transforming lives while simultaneously helping populations that are often overlooked.
“When people in the community come to those classes, they are helping themselves to live better, but they're also helping those in our community who are underserved and don't have access to these things as well,” Harris said.
Visit the Run with Wine website for more information on how to get involved.
