For one busy mom, taking care of a full house gives her a run for her money when it comes to finding time to help those less fortunate. So this weekend, she's asking others to run for her in the first annual Run for Compassion.

The fundraising event on April 18 at Tiffany Park in Bryan, TX, will feature a 5k, 10k and a fun run for kids. Proceeds from the event will go to Compassion International's Child Survival Program in Ethiopia. Registration for the event will begin at 8 a.m., April 18. Participants can also sign up online at www.runforcompassion.com. The cost is $20 or $25 for the 5k or 10k, and $5 for the Kids' Fun Run.

Jennifer Bacak, the director of the event and mother of four home-schooled children, said she first came up with the idea for the fundraiser after her parents challenged both her and her four siblings to raise money for the Child Survival Program. This program is designed to rescue and nurture children from the time of conception to age 4 who would otherwise have a very low chance of survival or proper development. Bacak said her brother Brian, who works at Compassion International, was also an inspiration to her since he and his wife recently adopted two children from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital.

"It's so easy to get wrapped up in ourselves and not even notice our world in crisis," said Bacak. "AIDS is rampant, children are starving and millions live without clean water and are subsequently dying from preventable diseases. But you can do something about it."

Bacak and her family are doing something about it, sponsoring two Compassion-assisted children in Africa. Their oldest daughter writes to Tsadle in Ethiopia and a son corresponds with Derrick in Uganda. Her two younger children will eventually have their own sponsored children to write to as well once they are older.

Along with their child sponsorships, Bacak and her husband, Russell, frequently visit nursing homes with their four children, two of whom were adopted. In addition, Russell uses his medical practice for mission work in the United States and in Mexico during yearly mission trips.

"Although we have four little ones at home, my husband and I can make a difference. We can play an important role in what Compassion is doing," Bacak said. "There are people at Compassion who are the hands and feet of Christ – sharing the Gospel and meeting needs. They just need our sponsorship to do it."

Compassion International is the world's largest Christian child development organization that permanently releases children from poverty. Founded in 1952, Compassion successfully tackles global poverty one child at a time, serving more than 1 million children in 25 of the world's poorest countries. Recognizing that poverty is more than a lack of money, Compassion works holistically through local churches to address the individual physical, economic, educational and spiritual needs of children - enabling them to thrive, not just survive. Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator, has awarded Compassion its highest rating - four stars - for seven consecutive years.