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200 Mile Run for Headstart

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Hello,

My name is Joe Weise. Many of you reading this already know me, and many of you may not. Thank you so much for getting this far, I’m going to ask for a little bit more.

        In 2010, at the age of 30 I saw my weight at nearly 300 lbs and decided to change the way I went through the world. With diet and exercise (who would ever guess?!) I lost about 100 lbs and started running.  First one mile, then 5, a marathon, 100 miles, then towing a tire 121 miles on a gravel road. I don’t do anything half-way. So far I’ve only run for myself, but for my next challenge, my longest distance yet, I have a purpose.

        Starting July 2, 2016, I am running 200 miles around the Trezona Trail in Ely, MN, where I live. This trail is a 3.67 mile loop and I need to do about 55 laps.  I expect it to take about 3 days with minimal rest. Believe it or not, this is the easy part!  The hard part is where you come in. 

        The Ely Area Head Start Program needs our help.  Head Start is a federally funded pre-k program that is at the mercy of both politics and budget. This is a free program that serves primarily children from families with the lowest income in the community. There are teachers and crayons and snacks just like any other preschool, but these children do not get much opportunity for experiential education.  The budget for any sort of field trips or extra programs is $250 for the year total, NOT per child. This is not enough for a single bus ride anywhere and they do not ask for extra money from the income-strapped households.  These incredible teachers create every opportunity they can with such a limited budget, taking the kids everywhere within preschooler-walking distance of the school.  I want to see what invaluable experiences they could create with a bigger budget.

        As an experiential educator myself, I’ve seen thousands of children come out of the woods with a new look at the world. Several studies have shown the links between field trip learning and an increase in curiosity and critical thinking.  These valuable skills should be accessible to all kids no matter their financial status.

        Every person reading this is in a position to give enough money to make an actual difference for the kids in this program.  A donation of $25 is a noticeable percentage of their existing budget.  For some of you $5 may be all you can do. That’s great; DO IT!  I know many people for whom $200 is not an amount of money that would be noticed if it was missing from their wallet; SO DO IT!

        Do it because you like me. Do it because you like kids. Do it because you have high hopes for the future of Ely. Do it because it’s the right thing to do.  It doesn’t matter why, just as long as you do.

        Thank you so much,  Joe
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Donations 

  • Chris Johnson
    • $30 
    • 8 yrs
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Organizer

Joe Weise
Organizer
Ely, MN

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