Walking With Purpose 2026: A Community United for Kalamazoo Students

This October, our community once again proved the power of taking small steps toward a big goal. Through Walking With Purpose, participants walked, fundraised, and rallied around the belief that every student deserves the support they need to succeed. We’re grateful for everyone who helped make this year’s event a success: the incredible Lincoln International Studies team for hosting our kickoff walk, our dedicated team captains for inspiring their groups, our sponsors and donors for their generous support, and every individual who joined us throughout the month to walk and give in support of Kalamazoo students.

Our collective goal was to walk 12,000 miles, representing the 12,000 students served by CIS across 23 Kalamazoo schools. Together, we surpassed that milestone, logging more than 24,000 miles throughout October.

In addition to the miles, participants helped raise more than $36,000 (and counting). Every dollar helps us continue our mission to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

CIS After-School Coordinator, Keneisha Darden with the Lincoln After-School students at the 2026 Walking With Purpose kickoff walk.

Stories, Inspiration, and Impact Every Week

Walking With Purpose is about more than just miles. Throughout the month, participants received a new video each week highlighting the work happening in our schools. These videos featured students, CIS site coordinators, school staff, and community volunteers showcasing the importance of attendance, academic achievement, behavioral support, and the power of being present.

These inspiring stories connected walkers directly to the mission behind every step, reminding participants that their efforts help create brighter futures for students. You can watch all these videos by visiting our media room here.

Keeping the Fun Going with Pop-Up Challenges

One of the highlights of this year’s event was the introduction of more than 20 pop-up challenges designed to keep participants engaged and connected throughout the month.

From scenic selfie contests and fundraising challenges to bingo cards, participants had multiple opportunities to win exciting prizes. Thanks to the generosity of local community partners, winners received everything from gift cards and wellness packages to Kalamazoo Growlers game tickets, massage gift certificates, and other fun rewards.

These challenges added an extra layer of excitement while encouraging participants to stay active, share their experiences, and further support Kalamazoo students.

One of our favorite parts of Walking With Purpose is seeing the event through the eyes of our participants. Throughout October, walkers shared photos of scenic routes, team walks, family outings, workplace wellness breaks, and personal milestones.

These snapshots captured the spirit of Walking With Purpose: a community coming together, one step at a time, for a common cause. Whether participants were enjoying the kick-off walk at Lincoln, fall colors on local trails, walking with coworkers, or taking an evening stroll with family and friends, each photo told a story of commitment, generosity, and purpose.

Thank You to Our Team Captains and Participants

A special thank-you goes out to our amazing team captains, who led the way and motivated more than 485 participants to walk and raise funds for Kalamazoo kids. Their enthusiasm, encouragement, and leadership helped create a sense of camaraderie and friendly competition that carried participants throughout the entire month.

We also deeply appreciate every individual participant who joined the effort. Whether you walked one mile or one hundred, secured donations, shared our mission, participated in challenges, or simply cheered others on, your involvement made a meaningful impact.

Supporting Students Beyond October

If you’d like to continue supporting Walking With Purpose, our donation page will remain open through the end of the year. Your contribution helps Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo continue providing students with the resources, relationships, and opportunities they need to succeed in school and in life. Here is a link to the donation page.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are deeply grateful to our 2026 Walking With Purpose sponsors, whose partnership made this event possible:

Presenting Sponsor: Consumers Credit Union

Supporting Sponsors: Allkins Family Foundation, CWS Financial Advisors, Flowserve, James & Springgate, PLC, The Kalamazoo Promise, Landscape Forms, Warner Norcross + Judd, and Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine.

In-Kind Sponsors: Gazelle Sports, Rose Wellbeing, Kalamazoo Growlers, Factory Coffee, Oasis Face Bar, Tigerlily Therapy, and Erbelli’s.