Free to Run Founder Stephanie Case Awarded Meritorious Service Medal of Canada

Free to Run is incredibly proud to share that our President and Founder Stephanie Case is a 2020 recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division), on behalf of the Governor General of Canada’s office!

“I’m honoured and humbled by this recognition, and incredibly thankful to all of the volunteers and supporters who have helped to build Free to Run into the bold and transformative organization that it is today,” Stephanie said.

Stephanie is a human rights lawyer, avid ultra-distance runner and women’s rights advocate with expertise in conflict settings and humanitarian emergencies. In 2009, she gave up a career in corporate law to assist some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. She has since worked for the United Nations (UN) in Afghanistan, Palestine, Malaysia, Switzerland and the United States, and for non-governmental organizations across Africa. Today, Stephanie is based in New York at UN headquarters after spending the last few years in Kabul.

Stephanie has witnessed first-hand the harmful effects and disproportionate negative impact of conflict on women and girls. She founded Free to Run in 2014 with the aim of ensuring that women and girls in areas of conflict are able to safely and boldly engage in outdoor adventure and develop the skills necessary to become leaders in their communities. Since then, the team at Free to Run has been working tirelessly to help women and girls in Afghanistan and Iraq to reclaim public space, changing the views of their communities about the roles that they can - and should - be playing in society. In 2019, Free to Run supported 875 female participants in Afghanistan and Iraq with almost 1,000 sports sessions and 650 educational sessions. In 2020, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Free to Run supported almost 500 women and girls from eight different ethnic backgrounds in Afghanistan and Iraq, which consisted of approximately 700 sports sessions, 430 education sessions, more than 20 volunteering sessions, and six community outreach events!

Congratulations to Stephanie and all the other recipients of the Meritorious Service Decorations this year! View the full announcement on the Government of Canada’s website.

About the Meritorious Service Decorations (Civil Division)

The Meritorious Service Decorations (Civil Division) celebrate Canadians who have performed an exceptional deed or activity that brings honour to Canada. They recognize remarkable contributions in many different fields of endeavour, from advocacy initiatives and health care services, to research and humanitarian efforts. The contributions can be innovative, set an example for others to follow, or improve the quality of life of a community.