So, what do you do when your organization does not have any funds to execute their mission? You have a fundraiser of course, but how can you have a fundraiser during a pandemic where large groups of people are not allowed inside together? We took inspiration from David Goggins, a retired Navy Seal and ultra marathon runner who runs extreme races to raise money for Navy Seal families. Marine Corp Veterans and VMAS Executive Committee members Ken Folino and Paul Fleischman decided to do a birthday fundraiser to try to raise $1,000 for the Wright State University Veteran & Military Alumni Society. For every $5 that someone donated, Ken and Paul would run 1 mile on their behalf.
The social media community jumped on board and the donations (and miles) started to pile up. The fundraiser ran most of the month of February and at the end of the month we had raised $2,200 and were both on the hook to complete over 200 miles. As we complete the miles we tag the donor on social media and thank them again for their generous contributions. Hard work pays off and now we have some money to jump start some of the events we have planned for the year.
It has been a great experience and we have been overwhelmed by the community support. Countless people have volunteered to run or walk the same number of miles on top of their donation. This fundraiser ended up being a great way to engage the community and get people out and moving early in the year. Thanks again for all the contributions and if you would like to know more about what we have going on this year or want to get involved, please join us during one of our monthly meetings.