Join me in supporting Mile in My Shoes!
I am excited to begin my 9th season with Mile in My Shoes, this year back with Team Union Gospel Mission. Here's a bunch of last year's crew at our final celebration. I cannot wait to reconnect with many of them and meet new people, lacing up for the very first time.
The team gathers in the early morning, twice each week, and begins with lots of hugs. Then we circle up for warmups and head out, two by two, to run (or walk) for 30 minutes. It's as simple as that, and it is incredibly powerful. We build community by coming together with this shared purpose. About half the team lives at the downtown St. Paul UGM campus, either recovering from addiction or seeking other support. Many have experienced homelessness or other significant challenges. The other half of the team come from the surrounding community - many are already avid runners - and they share this passion with the resident members. These days, I run only to be with this incredible team. We lift one another up - one step at a time.
On June 7th, after just a couple months of training, we will run the Mile in My Shoes' (MiMS) "Downtown Run Around" 5K race on June 7. I've joined Team UGM's fundracing team to raise awareness and funds for this tremendous organization. FundRacers have a collective goal of raising $25k to bring the transformative power of running to even more people experiencing homelessness, in recovery and exiting incarceration. Click here to learn more about the impact your support has on MiMS' Members.
Please consider giving any amount to this campaign to support every runner getting a pair of shoes, some running clothes, running incentives (t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc.), and race entries. It's pretty cool what all of this means to our resident members.
More about Mile in My Shoes
MiMS brings together residents of the Twin Cities with diverse backgrounds through the power of running. Based in homeless shelters, addiction recovery programs and re-entry centers for people exiting incarceration, Mile in My Shoes views running as a tool for both personal and collective transformation. By centering people and spaces historically excluded by the running community, our teams use movement as a catalyst for social justice. By bringing together people from diverse backgrounds, our Resident Members and Run Mentors not only find common ground, but learn from and reach out to one another for support. As we transform ourselves, we transform one another, and we transform our communities.
Our Mission: We run together to transform ourselves, one another, and our community.
Our Vision: Mile in My Shoes uses the power of running to bring together people from diverse backgrounds to build connections, boost wellness, spark social change, and center people traditionally excluded from running spaces.
Thank you for supporting me and Mile in My Shoes! Interested in hearing more stories of our Members and Mentors? Read about Love + Emily, Jason + Ben and Niko + Anna.
