Alex’s Million Mile Initiative enlists supporters to Run. Walk. Ride. One Million Miles this September to raise the profile of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Philadelphia, PA (July 2014) – In an effort to raise the profile of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation will go the distance this September, launching Alex’s Million Mile – Run. Walk. Ride. With firsthand knowledge of just how far parents of children with cancer would go to find a cure for their child, the Foundation will challenge supporters everywhere to go the extra mile this September, collectively running, walking or cycling one million miles to work toward better treatments and ultimately cures for all kids with cancer.

The brainchild of Foundation Co-Executive Director, Jay Scott, a running enthusiast, Alex’s Million Mile invites ambitious individuals, as well as teams, to pledge to run/walk/ride and contribute to the one million mile goal during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Drawing from the inspiration of Foundation creator Alexandra “Alex” Scott, who set out to raise $1 million through lemonade stands in 2004, Jay Scott feels that through combined efforts, reaching one million miles in just thirty days is attainable. The initiative provides a fun, easy and free way for people across the country to make a difference in the fight against childhood cancer.

“I am thrilled to bring back Alex’s Million Mile for the second annual initiative to help Childhood Cancer Awareness Month attain the same status that other awareness months have,” says Scott. “Alex’s Million Mile is as an easy way for runners, walkers and cyclists of all abilities to contribute to the fight against childhood cancer, build community support and get fit,” says Scott.

Alex’s Million Mile will utilize both the MapMyFitness applications and the ability for participants to manually enter the miles they log daily. Individuals and teams who participate can log as many or as few miles as their ability level allows, every mile will count toward the larger goal. For those wishing to push themselves to reach 100 miles throughout the month, individuals will need to average 3-4 miles a day, while teams can split up the 100 miles. For instance, a group of 4 employees can walk a mile at lunch every day and easily reach their goal.

In its inaugural year, Alex’s Million Mile (formerly known as the Million Mile Run), mobilized more than 5,000 participants to log 250,000 miles and raise over $500,000 for the cause. Among the various ways that miles were logged by participants from coast to coast: parents walked their children to school each day, logging one mile each way; families walked to Friday night dinners and back; instead of taking public transportation, individuals ran to work or evening outings. The possibilities are endless, with each step being counted toward the ultimate goal of logging one million miles, and more importantly raising vital awareness of the number one disease killer of children under the age of 15 in the United States.

“September has become highly recognizable within the childhood cancer community as an important time of year,” says Liz Scott, Alex’s mom and Co-Executive Director of the Foundation. “However, for many, the cause September is attached to remains widely unknown. While we’ve made progress in the fight against childhood cancer within the past ten years of our existence, there is still a long way to go. We hope that through the collective efforts of Alex’s Million Mile participants, we can close the distance between better treatments and ultimately cures.”

New to the 2014 event, Booster, LLC (www.booster.com) will provide participants a platform to easily launch their own t-shirt fundraising campaigns to support their Alex’s Million Mile efforts. Participants who sign up for Alex’s Million Mile will have the opportunity to use Booster to create their own designs and in turn sell custom t-shirts to raise money without buying in advance or holding any inventory. To learn more, or to launch a Booster campaign to benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, visit: https://www.booster.com/alexs-lemonade-stand.

Individuals and teams who are interested in participating or learning more about Alex’s Million Mile can visit AlexsMillionMile.org where they will find a video detailing the effort, testimonials from those who participated last year, and starting in September - live updates from social media on efforts in 2014 utilizing the hashtag #Journey2aMillion.

About Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope. To date, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $80 million toward fulfilling Alex’s dream of finding a cure, funding over 450 pediatric cancer research projects nationally. For more information on Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, visit AlexsLemonade.org.
 

How far is 1 Million Miles?

 

A trip to the moon and back, twice.

More than 40 times around the earth.

More than 3,000 trips from NYC to Los Angeles.

More than 38,000 Marathons.