I love being able to creatively fundraise to support my school and schools around the country, and I especially love cultivating enthusiasm for the 100 Mile Club® mission at a grass-roots, community level. The fundraisers described below DIRECTLY support student sponsorships, engage the community, and inspire BIG change in the health, happiness, and connection of our schools, families, and communities. Here are 14 tried and true hints and tips to help you start a fundraising campaign of your own. Use a convenient donation platform such as GoFundMe. This way, donations are tax-deductible for your donors and are ready when you are! These platforms are clean, easy, and have all the tools you need to host a successful campaign for your school or group. Funds will be sent directly to the designated charity (in this case 100 Mile Club®) and will be earmarked for use within your group/school. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the National Office with any questions about getting your fundraiser up and running! Start where you are and help those that are right in front of you. Do this first, and if your fundraiser grows beyond that…BONUS! (It’s like when the flight attendant says to put your oxygen mask on before you help someone else.) The fundraiser I am hosting now will fund students at my school first, and then our extended goal is to help schools all over the country. The sky’s the limit! “Do what you can with what you have where you are. – Teddy Roosevelt. He was right. Don’t look beyond your own environment to create your own unique campaign. Is there someone who can make or donate little gifts for your donors? Do you have a friend with a ton of followers on social media that can share your campaign? Would […]
WHAT A YEAR, RIGHT!?? Being apart due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for us all. We miss the high 5s, the hugs, the Victory Tunnels, the medal ceremonies, and so much more. What never left us was the love and support our coaches have for their kids as they reach their goals and finish the year stronger than ever. The saying “Love conquers all.” has never been more true than at this moment in our collective history and it certainly showed in our schools’ year-end 100 Mile Club celebrations. We have never seen more creativity and enthusiasm than in our Spring 2020 Medal Ceremonies and Celebrations. Just take a look at the brilliant baton relay organized and executed by the magnificent coaches at Nelda Mundy Elementary School: Says Coach Jen Doty: I loved EVERY minute of coaching 100 Mile Club…(even when the mom voice came out!). ❤️ These kids inspire me every single day to be a better person: when their eyes light up when they see me…and tell me their goal for the day and celebrate each milestone they hit. I am humbled and honored to be a part of this amazing group! Thank you to all who helped make this video possible- Susan, Kristina, Fallon, Shannon, Christi, Ashlie, and everyone else who participated. This could not “run” without you. Amanda, thank you, from the bottom of my heart for all of your help making this vision come to life! It is perfect ❤️ I am beyond grateful for your team and that you took the time to celebrate your kids during a time when they needed it most. We at 100 Mile Club thank YOU for your enthusiasm, hard work, dedication, team spirit, and love…ALWAYS love. Yours Truly, Kara Lubin, Founder
The majority of miles in 100 Mile Club® will be completed at school during school hours. Before, during, and directly after school are the times when most miles will be accrued. Really, you can complete all of your miles at school and run quite a successful club. BUUUUUT, if you want to add some spice and shenanigans to your 100 Mile Club, why not try creating some themed Fun Run events in 2020? They are easy, low or no cost, and help bridge the gap between schools, families, and their communities, creating genuine and valued family and community engagement at your school and beyond. Adding a theme is fun, silly, and will add a lot of flair to your Fun Runs, Family Nights, or Run-Togethers. Always have music or a fun seasonal playlist going, take pictures, and celebrate MILEstones as they are achieved. Here are a few ideas to get your 2020 creative juices flowing: ❄️ January New Year, New YOU. Bring a New Year’s wish or goal and drop it in a “wishing well” (a sparkly or decorated tub) Hot Cocoa Winter Waddle. Bundle up and have some healthy hot cocoa ready for your little runners! Winter Warm Up. Gather outgrown jackets or new blankets to donate to a local shelter. ❤️ February Friendship Frolic. Bring a friend or loved one to your Fun Run! Maybe someone new who has never been before. Offer “Friend ‘Fotos” and share post-event for families to cherish. Valentines Day Dash. Have a face-painter on hand to bring some sparkle to your Valentine’s Day Fun Run. Love Walk. Hearts EVERYWHERE! ☘️ March Shamrock Scamper. Host a Fastest Feet mile or half-mile during your fun run. Winners get sparkly Leprechaun Hats! Musical sMILES March. Have students submit a song for the Fun Run playlist (check for appropriateness, of […]
Let’s rally and brave the winter TOGETHER! The purpose of this article is to get your creative juices flowing when the weather is disagreeing with you and your kids’ desires to get out and RUN! Best thing to remember is this: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BAD WEATHER …ONLY THE WRONG CLOTHES. (I am living proof of this when I travel in the winter-time…) I need to preface this by saying that: I (Kara) am in Southern California and am fully wrapped in a hoodie and gloves when it drops below 70. We all are out here. It’s ridiculous. Just watch the local news for 3 minutes. You will get a good laugh. It’s all true. Some regions’ inclement weather comes in other forms: Ridiculously high winds, fire, and extreme heat, etc. These hints and tips work well with these types of weather as well…lousy weather is lousy weather is lousy weather. This article highlights the vast differences in policy and the importance of knowing your school policies regarding indoor vs outdoor activity. I hope hope hope that our coaches all over the country will share their super-creative ideas for how to make 100 Mile Club® work during these Frrrrrreeeezing Winter Months. The possibilities are endless. Snowshoeing anyone? OK. First and foremost, you MUST get outside whenever possible and actually log real one-foot-in-front-of-the-other MILES. Bundle up and make it happen. No whining. No complaining. No excuses. These wild weather miles can sometimes be the most memorable and fun!! That said, sometimes this is TOTALLY not possible, in which case you must make sure you keep the spirit and journey of 100 Mile Club® alive and progressing. Here is the biggest and most important thing: MILES. WITH. INTENTION. Miles With Intention is a very important concept whenever you are modifying 100 Mile Club® […]
This month, we celebrate a commUNITY meetup and volunteer that have been running 8 years strong! Coach Sandy Mielo and her dedicated team of volunteers show up on Monday nights at 5:30 to Pikes Peak Park in Norco, CA to witness, celebrate, and document miles and sMILES for 100 Mile Club Kids all over Southern California! Monday Mile Madness at Pikes Peak Park is legendary! “When I first started here 8 years ago,” states Sandy, “there were mommies who were pregnant, and their babies are doing 100 Mile Club now. It’s crazy!” Sandy has no kids in the program, but all of these kids are certainly hers! She even has a Facebook Page dedicated to keeping everyone in the loop. She loves each and every one with her whole heart! Positive, inclusive, caring, and loving meetups like this help 100 Mile Club maximize family and community engagement and we are so grateful for the volunteers and their helping spirits. Learn more about this meetup here. Learn more about 100 Mile Club meetups like Sandy’s here.
Submitted by Peggy Tattersall, Head Coach JBE 100 Mile Club, Jacksonville Beach, FL “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden This is my fourth year being involved with our school’s 100 Mile Club program. But it is my first year as Head Coach. To be honest, I was scared to take on this role. Terrified, actually. I am not a runner. Never have been (and honestly have no desire to be 😂). But I have seen what a difference this program has made in the lives of our students. I may not be able to run, but I can certainly help in other ways. So I put aside my fear, and I gave it a shot. This is Joe. He is a 3rd grader at our school, and an avid member of our 100 Mile Club. He has earned his Gold Medal for the last three years, and was well on his way to making it four years in a row when he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia just before Spring Break. He was at 92 miles. But…this kid. 💛 He is not ready to give up. He is determined to reach 100 miles. He wants that Gold Medal. So, on days when he is feeling well enough, in between his chemo treatments, we work with Joe and his family to come up with his “What’s my Mile” for the week so he can continue to be part of his 100 Mile Club CommUNITY. And because he *will* reach his goal. 🏅 More information about “What’s My Mile” available to registered schools in Coaches Corner. Joe’s mom tells me that it is one of the few things they have found that makes him smile, and has motivated him. 💕 Before his diagnosis […]
Shared by Vicki Barron Submitted by Program Specialist, Karina Villaseñor I teach children with special needs Kindergarten – 3rd grades, and here is my 100 Mile Club story 😊 While planning a health unit, my assistant suggested we take the children out to walk a mile every day. She had previously done that with a class in another school. I really didn’t think our young students would be able to focus or be interested in walking 4 laps around our PE field. So we began by setting rules for how to walk with our friends. We then made a “cool “incentive by adding 1 mile each day to our chart while eating popsicles, (it gets hot in Florida!), and celebrating our 100 mile goal by walking to McDonalds for ice cream! We started this 13 years ago and we’re still walking 100 miles every year! My students love it!! I have found that as we walk laps, this is a time that the children love to start talking! They have my undivided attention for one mile to listen to them, laugh with them, and sometimes even counsel them. Some of the teachers at our school spoke of wanting to start a running club but was unsure how to start. I went looking online to see what I could find and that’s how I found out about the 100 Mile Club. I signed my class up to start with this year to see how the program works, and I’m so excited to share this program with the whole school! The (100 Mile Club) staff is very helpful and easy to talk with, and it is so easy to order the fun incentive packages! My students love the bracelets, t-shirts, and especially the medals! As one student said, “They’re real!!” I look forward to becoming more involved and learning more from other coaches and […]
Contributed by Amanda Griffiths Shared by Program Specialist Sarah Torres Cascade Christian School Frederickson in Tacoma, WA is finishing their 10th consecutive year with the 100 Mile Club and have earned their 100 Mile Club Anniversary Banner! Here are a few words from their amazing coach, Amanda Griffiths: “Our 100 Mile Club program is special for many reasons but one of the top reasons is parental/adult involvement. We have parents, grandparents, staff and family friends come out and walk each 100 Mile Club day and support our kids reaching their goals. The kids love it! Once our 1st student reaches 100 miles for the year…you can see the other students really pick up the pace and set more goals. 100 Mile Club at CCS Frederickson is something that the kids look forward to each week and we adults look forward to watching the kids cheer as they reach their goals, especially their 100!” Running with family at CCS Frederickson is the best! Walkin’ and talkin’…building friendships with every mile. Thank you for sharing your story, Coach Amanda! Your 10-year banner is on the way!
LET’S CHASE THE MOON ON JUNE 17 OUR GOAL? 134,000 Miles (Thats 20 times around the moon!) YOUR GOAL? 6.7 Miles A few thousand small steps for you. One giant leap for 100 Mile Club. On June 17, 2019, the third annual Ragnar Chase the Moon Challenge has a goal to accomplish together something we could never do alone. Last year, thousands of Ragnarians each ran 6.7 miles under the full moon, logging enough miles to circle the moon 11 times. This year, our goal is 20! 100 Mile Club is proud to be the designated charity for the 2019 Chase the Moon Challenge. We’ll run together (virtually) by the light of the strawberry moon, score some sweet swag (optional) and do some good along the way (awesome!). It’s free to join, but t-shirts and medals are limited, so act quickly. PLUS! You have the option of donating to 100 Mile Club to support kids and schools nationwide! “Like Ragnar, 100 Mile Club believes in the importance of “goal-setting, determination, and team spirit” and strives to help schools and communities produce “Healthy, Happy, Connected Kids.” states Angela Heydorn, Senior Marketing Manager at Ragnar Relay. “This is why Ragnar chose 100 Mile Club to be the benefiting charity for our third annual Chase the Moon challenge. “When you participate in Chase the Moon you are part of a worldwide community that is striving to accomplish a goal that we could never complete alone. We believe that 100 Mile Club shares this sentiment while improving the communities they are part of. “ “We love the spirit of Ragnar Relay,” adds Kara Lubin, 100 Mile Club® Founder. “Their spirit and goals align with ours so well! Our kids are future Ragnarians, and teaching them to stay active and healthy for life is the […]
It’s a “snakey” year for sure. Rain, vegetation, lush landscapes and sunny warm weather are a perfect recipe. As the weather warms up and the flowers bloom, critters get out just like we do to enjoy this beautiful sunshine. Just as trails and parks come in many different shapes and sizes, so do the creatures you might encounter along the way. Observing an insect or an animal in its own natural habitat can make for a memorable and educational outdoor experience and with just a little knowledge and some common sense, it can be a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. Snakes. They are out there, make no mistake. Most bites occur between April and October when everyone (including our animal friends) are most active outdoors. According to the USDA, about 25% of snake bites are “dry”, meaning no venom is injected (though they still require medical treatment). Snakes may roam during the day or night, depending on conditions, so staying “snake awake” is important always. Here is a great website listing venomous snakes by state. Which state has no known venomous snakes? Did you find it? They do what you do (kids, not snakes). Please remember that how you react to snakes will determine the level of fear your children adopt. According to Penny Whitehouse of Mother Natured, “If you show negative emotions or high levels of fear, there’s a higher chance your child will develop these feelings about snakes too. You might think this will keep your child safe, when in fact, it could be putting your child at greater risk.” Read more on kids and snake safety here. Below are some important hints, tips, dos and don’ts to make your outdoor adventures safe and educational when you are logging those miles at school, at commUNITY events, or […]
