guest post by Rob Schuster, ALSF staff accountant
Rob Schuster, our revenue staff accountant, keeps track of donations for the Foundation. His numbers job is one we could not manage without. With every donation he logs, Rob gets us one step closer to cures for childhood cancer. Today, Rob shares how he is adding up the miles and the hope for The Million Mile.
As an accountant, I can attest to the fact that we aren’t really known for our physical fitness. Accountants like me sit at our desks all day and work with numbers. So how are people like me supposed to contribute to The Million Mile, an event that is focused on running, walking, and biking?
Well, we can start by looking at the numbers.
I set a personal goal for myself to walk and run 100 miles by the end of September. Does that seem like a lot? Because it does to me.
However, if you divide that 100 miles by 30 days, then I only have to walk or run about 3.33 miles each day to reach my goal by September 30th. That seems much more manageable. Just by following my normal routine throughout the day, I can log about 1.5 miles, which means I need to walk an extra 2 miles each day. This is something I can accomplish by taking about 30 minutes to walk at night.
So if you’re having trouble reaching your own goal for the month, figure out how many miles each day you’ll need to walk, run, or ride and try to hit that goal each day. By breaking it down into daily objectives, the monthly goal will become much less intimidating. It’s definitely helped me stay on track to reach 100 miles. And remember that every mile you travel brings us closer to the collective goal of one million miles in September.
Running, walking, or riding one million miles in a single month… it’s a daunting goal. Yet all you have to do is consider the life of the Foundation’s founder, Alex Scott, to see how it can be accomplished.
While Alex was still fighting her battle with neuroblastoma, she set a goal to raise $1 million in order to help children with cancer. This goal might have seemed unattainable to many. How could one child raise $1 million on her own? She couldn’t. Not on her own, at least. In addition to her family, Alex had support from people across the country. These people were inspired by Alex’s courage, determination, and selflessness. Like Alex, these people wanted to achieve the mission of ending childhood cancer, so they began holding lemonade stands to raise funds for childhood cancer research. By the summer of 2004, before she passed away at the age of eight, Alex reached her goal of raising $1 million dollars for childhood cancer research.
The Million Mile, much like the Foundation itself, is a continuation of Alex’s accomplishments. The month-long event is focused on bringing people together to work towards a common goal. It would be impossible for an individual to run, walk, or bike one million miles in a single month. But when thousands of people participate, the goal becomes achievable. And by collectively logging one million miles, we can increase awareness and raise funds for critical childhood cancer research.
How far are you willing to run, walk, or ride to help raise awareness of childhood cancer? If you haven’t already, ask your friends to register for The Million Mile and invite them to join a team. We’re more than halfway through the month, so it’s time to get moving!
