Your Miles for Milestone Challenge presented by Pine State Elevator

Anybody who knows me knows I talk a lot about Milestone Recovery. Whether it's Courtney and the HOME Team's work to keep people safe in camps around Portland, Joe and the shelter giving folks a safe warm bed on an icy night, Christine and the detox staff staying up all night with somebody going through their first night of withdrawal, or Jamie and the residential treatment Team putting in hours of counseling with somebody checking in for a six-month stay, the front-line staff at Milestone are heroes who never cease to amaze me.

This September, I'm participating in the Your Miles for Milestone Challenge to raise money and awareness for the amazing work Milestone does every day. Between September 15 and 24, I'm going to ride 150 miles on my trusty 1980 Panasonic Villager. I'm hoping to raise $50 for every mile I ride; that's a total of $7,500. I hope you'll consider joining me to make a statement that we support our most vulnerable neighbors.

Each year Milestone delivers:

• 17,000 outreach contacts with people in Portland experiencing homelessness
• 13,000 bed-nights of emergency shelter
• 655 admissions to the only non-profit opioid and alcohol withdrawal program in Southern Maine that serves uninsured and underinsured people at no charge
• 15 or more people placed in permanent housing from chronic homelessness (3+ years)
• 103 days average stay in extended substance use treatment; most other providers offer a maximum of 28 days.