I didn't know Jim Foley, but I've learned from him that a person you've never met can change you forever. I'm part of a story that he started and that I hope never ends. It's a story that depends on keeping your eyes and heart open to the world around you and on looking so closely that you can see the threads that connect us all, even when they have worn thin. 
 

Jim's family and friends are world-class storytellers who have enlarged his story so that it holds room for us all. In his name, they've worked tirelessly to advocate for the release of Americans wrongfully imprisoned abroad. More than 160 Americans have returned home because of their work. In his name, they've developed tools and protocols for keeping journalists safe. 
 

These goals are now more important than ever. 
 

As anyone who has met Diane, John, Jim's family, and his friends can attest, they remind us that we can all respond to the call of moral courage, that hope is always available, and that a story told with love needn't end. 
 

Thank you for supporting the Foley Foundation. This year, I will be running a 5k in Jim's name in San Diego, where I will be presenting at the National Conflict Resolution Center. It is not lost on me that I wouldn't be doing so had Jim not changed my own story five years ago.