Seven members of a family Annville will run in distance races in Florida next month to raise funds for a health facility in Haiti.

Jon Miller and Nydia Maple Street with their children plan to run in the Disney World Marathon January 10 last or one of several smaller races that weekend to raise funds for the Center Heartline originating 'Haiti in Port-au-Prince.

They will be joined by other riders from around the country with the goal of raising $ 60,000 to buy an emergency vehicle to bring women into the work at the birth center and transportation to hospital emergency.

In Haiti, where poverty is rife, women depend on public transportation and often can not get to the center of the birth on time, sometimes with children on the roadside, according to Jon Miller.

The Millers special love for Haiti from the fact that it is the birthplace of two of their adopted children, Stanley, 10, and Samantha, 8.

Miller said he and his wife learned about Haiti and the orphanage where the children were adopted after another couple at the church family, Lebanon Area Evangelical Free Church in Jonestown, adopted a child from there .

"One thing if it was really a God Motorized where my wife and I learned about the orphanage in Haiti," he said.

Miller said that the adoption process was "lengthy and difficult." After filing the paperwork, the couple traveled to Haiti to meet with children in March 2005. Children do not come home until close of a year later, February 4, 2006.

When they arrived, there was a lot of adjusting to do.

"They knew very little English and we knew very little Creole," said Miller. "So there was an adjustment to the extent that the language is concerned, but they fit into our family immediately.

Stanley is now in his fourth year at Annville Elementary School, and Samantha is in her third year at North Annville Elementary. Both are doing well in their class, "said Miller.

"Their English is great," he said.

During the race next month, John and Nydia will run the Disney World Marathon, which goes in and out of several Disney theme parks. Their 15-year-old son, David, will run a marathon and a half, their 23-year-old son, Tavares Hubbard, running a 5k race, and the three younger children, Stanley, Samantha and their 10-year daughter, Sophia, s 'running in a 1-mile race.

Miller said he has never run a marathon before. The closest is a half-marathon he ran in September in Philadelphia. However, he is training and confident he will at least finish.

"We are building our mileage up," he said. "We have no expectations as far as time. We certainly believe we will finish."

The family is looking for people to sponsor their trips to collect money for the emergency vehicle to the center of the birth.

"We all pay the fee of our travel and accommodation expenses and race, so any money given to Heartline goes directly to them," said Miller.