Jana//Matchy McMatchyjams for MiMS!

We are thrilled that MiMS overall GTMD giving will be matched up to $4k by a group of amazing supporters! However, we are excited to announce that our set of "MiMS Grandparents" - Dale & Kimberlee Rosten and Maggie & Steve Vertin - have issued a special challenge to our board. If board members can bring in $1K through our pages specifically, it will unlock a special $500 gift made by them! If we raise $1.5K? That $500 bonus gift doubles to $1K! This means that ON TOP of our overall matches, our own $1500 will turn into $2500 - hooray!

As if those grandparents aren't sweet enough (we love you!), we'll MATCH with some sugar. If I raise MORE than my fellow board-members, the Huff-family will wear, and share pics of(!), ourselves in an ADORABLE matching PJ ensemble.

Mike too! 😜  But only if we raise the very most!  

I am proud to be a Run Mentor and to have the privilege to serve on the Mile in My Shoes (MiMS) board of directors. MiMS' four teams—based at homeless shelters and reentry facilities in Minneapolis and St. Paul—pair volunteers ("Run Mentors") with people experiencing homelessness and other barriers ("Resident Members"). 

These teams run together 2-3 mornings a week, starting with one mile, then another, until soon they are running 5Ks, 10Ks, even marathons. Along the way, long-lasting connections form among teammates whose paths might not normally cross. As our runners often say, every mile changes you. 

MiMS' impact is best captured in our runners' words:

"Before MiMS I ran alone and was one of the most judgmental people you would ever meet," says volunteer Run Mentor Joe. "Now I run for love, hope, and as many chances as you need."

"It's the most amazing group of people I've been around," Resident Member Brian shared at our annual MiMSies celebration. "I used to run when I was young, and I didn't know how I was going to get back to it. Now my mood is better, I've made great friends, and I'm really looking forward to the next season."

Your contribution fuels our members by providing gear and race entries for our members:

• $15 buys winter running gloves and a hat for one Resident Member runner.
• $25 pays for a running shirt and shorts.
• $35 sponsors one Resident Member in a 5K race.
• $50 buys a pair of running shoes.
• $100 covers the cost of a Garmin GPS watch for an Alumni Member.
• $150 covers all the gear: hat, gloves, shirt, shorts, and shoes.

Thank you for supporting me and Mile in My Shoes!