Some ideas start with a plan. This one started in a parking lot.
The Running on Faith Project is a registered Canadian charity built on a simple but powerful belief: people don’t just need support to survive — they need purpose, connection, and something meaningful to move toward.
Founder Andie van der Eerden spent years serving in the Whalley community, serving meals and witnessing the daily realities of people experiencing homelessness, trauma, and addiction. Over time, she began to notice something deeper beneath the surface: even when basic needs were met, many individuals were still struggling with isolation, loss of identity, and a lack of hope.
At 49, Andie discovered running as a way to support her own mental health while navigating anxiety and depression connected to trauma. What began as a personal practice became transformative. Running gave her structure, emotional stability, and a renewed sense of possibility.
That experience changed the direction of her life.
She began to imagine what might be possible if people in temporary housing and recovery were given not just support — but a consistent, structured way to rebuild confidence, identity, and community through movement and community.
So she asked a local recovery and shelter program if she could start a running group.
They said yes.
Three mornings a week, she showed up.
Rain or shine, holidays or not, the group ran together and walked.
And people kept coming back.
What started as a small volunteer-led running group quickly grew into something much larger. New shoes were provided, participants were called athletes, goals were set, races were run, and people were showing up not only for the run — but for themselves and each other. For many, it was the first time in years they felt part of something, capable of change, and connected to a community that believed in them.
Today, ROFP operates as a structured, volunteer-led recovery support program in partnership with temporary housing and treatment organizations, is starting to expand in British Columbia. The program is rooted in movement, routine and community, offering a consistent recovery supportive activity for participants.
Each program includes early-morning group runs, consistent routine-building, monthly education sessions, and access to running gear and race participation opportunities - creating space for connection, confidence, a renewed sense of identity, meaning and empowerment.
The Running on Faith Project is currently expanding across multiple partner sites, in the Lower Mainland and beyond, in response to growing demand for accessible, community-based activity support.
At its core, The Running on Faith Project is simple:
We show up.
We run together.
We empower people, through exercise and community — one step at a time.
Our Mission Empowering people in temporary housing and recovery centers through the power of community, exercise, and our structured learn to run and walking programs.
Our Vision To restore health, self-esteem and confidence through movement. To alleviate isolation through community. To connect and lift people up by consistently showing up for them.
Why We Do It Because every person deserves to feel seen and feel stronger. Because connection, hope and meaning are not luxuries — they are essential to recovery and mental health. Because exercise doesn't just change your body. It changes how you see yourself. And when you see yourself differently, everything becomes possible.
The Running on Faith Project acknowledges that we live, work, run and walk on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples — including the Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Matsqui, and Kwikwetlem First Nations. As we expand our programs across the Lower Mainland, we recognize the ongoing and deep connection these Nations have to these lands. We are grateful to the Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and environmental stewards, past and present, and we commit to walking respectfully on this land as we serve our community.