Running has changed my life in a lot of positive ways. In July of 2013, I decided to make my miles matter to more than just me. I began donating a dollar for each mile I ran to charity. I looked back at the list of monthly donations for the past twelve months. The total on my dollar per mile contributions alone came to over $1700.00.
If you have not read or heard my back story, my wife and I lost our first son, Lucas Carson Sanders, just a short period of time after he was born. After his death, we set up a charity to raise money for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University of Virginia. We wanted to help other families who are facing the reality of a risky birth. The money goes toward diapers, blankets, binkies, equipment; everything babies need. It also helps with accommodations for the parents that are waiting and praying for good news. So every penny helps.
Having an incentive (that is not just personal) to run makes those long training runs, rainy days splashing through the puddles, suffocatingly humid days, or painfully boring treadmill runs a lot more tolerable. I recall several times I felt like quitting on a run, but remembered I was running more than for just myself.
I run For Lucas. http://www.forlucas.com
