Hello Everyone!

Happy New Year! It's 2025, and like most people, I've been in the process of reevaluating goals and plans for the upcoming year. Over the past few years, I've developed a passion for running and have made a habit of hitting the pavement 3-4 days a week. I completed my first half marathon in 2024, and I'm aiming to complete my first full marathon in this upcoming calendar year.

To spur on my growth as a runner, I've decided to set a goal of running 750 miles in 2025. This is a bit ambitious, as I finished just shy of 475 miles in 2024, so in order to hold myself accountable I thought I would pair my efforts with a much more important objective!

As many of you know, my wife and I have spent the past few years living in Southeast Asia, and though we are back in the States now, we came to love the people and cultures that we encountered there. While living in Asia, one thing that was impressed upon us was the relative strength of the US dollar compared to local currencies. We quickly came to realize that a modest amount of USD could make a huge difference in some of the lives of our friends.

Therefore, as a goal for this year, I am attempting to raise $10 for every mile that I run (a total of $7,500), with all proceeds to support economic development and higher education opportunities for contacts we've made during our time there. Specifically, we have a few friends who need financial support to pursue a college education. Because of the power of the US dollar in countries like Thailand and Vietnam, the total amount I'm seeking to raise will be more than enough to cover all costs incurred for 2 or 3 students' entire degree program. Any excess funds left over will be donated to a charity of our choosing to support small business owners or education opportunities in SE Asia.

If you would like to support this effort, please consider giving to my GoFundMe! Thanks for your time and your donations. At the end of the year, I will post an update with evidence of the completed miles and details about the impact of your gift! Stay tuned, and blessings to you all in 2025!!!