Walking With Purpose: We walk as a community for students
Wow! October came and went in the blink of an eye. As we conclude our second year of the Walking With Purpose challenge, we want thank everybody for participating.
Those of you who joined us demonstrated that difficult challenges can be overcome when the community works together for a purpose. That is real power! We are touched by the kindness, generosity, and advocacy of so many.
We set a goal to walk 12,000 miles, which is symbolic of the 12,000 students who may benefit from the work we do in 22 Kalamazoo schools. Thirty team captains stepped up to the challenge and went the extra mile to make Walking With Purpose fun and meaningful for their team members. Over 200 individuals worked together to walk and pledge over 12,000 miles.
Thank you to our team captains!
1000 Miles – Mariana Kondon
1941 Walking Warriors – Bethany Balash
3800 Trailblazers – Tyler Orr
Board Walk – Susan Einspahr
Booking It – Kate McNeill
CSM Group – Katrina Reed
Dalanna and Friends!! – Dalanna Robbson
El Soliols – Perla Medina
Emerging Leaders for CIS – Moira Gilligan-Ide
Fifth Third Bank Walk-a-thon – Laura Bliss
Gazelle Sports – Forrest Buffenbarger
Girls on the Run – Karen Allen
Kazoo Kids 22 – James Devers
Kzoo Zetas – Brittnei Averhart
Linden Grove Wildcats – Angelina Degasperis
My Sole Called Life – Lindsey Hemmerlein
Northeastern Eagles – Dana Flynn
Radisson ESS – Olivia Garner
Sparty Squad – Molly Kinnison
Strolling For Students – Kim Nemire
Sunny Skies – Felicia Lemons
Team CWS – Savannah Stuart
Team Walk and Talk – Sara Ware
The Perpetuity Penguins – Jake Waggoner
Tipsy Trekkers – Pam Dalitz
Too Inspired To Be Tired – Jenna Cooperrider
Trillium HR – Jackie Finnerty
Walk with Heart – Melanie Bryce and Kathleen Matyas-Orr
Welsh Winners – Alisha Kuch
Woodward Wolves – Heather Gatton
The teams also engaged their networks in supporting Walking With Purpose by inviting friends and family to support their miles with donations, raising nearly $30,000! Overall, Walking With Purpose raised over $37,500! And, donations are still coming in! We will keep the donation link active through the end of the year. If you would like to donate to Walking With Purpose, please do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/WWP2022
Please join us in thanking our sponsors!
Thank you to our presenting sponsor Ascension Borgess for joining us in a second year of Walking With Purpose. Special thank you to our supporting sponsors: CWS Financial Advisors, FEMA Corporation, Fifth Third Bank, and OnStaff Group. Thank you all for believing in us, believing in the potential of students, and for stepping forward.
Thank you to our planning committee!
Leading up to this year’s kick off, we met with a group of individuals who helped guide us in planning. We thank you for your time, energy, and great feedback to help keep this year’s initiative fun and exciting.
Laura Bliss
Jenna Cooperrider
Pam Dalitz
Susan Einspahr
Heather Gatton
Tracie Hall
Felicia Lemons
Molly Kinnison
Laurin Mathis
Kim Nemire
Sara Ware
Please enjoy some photos from this year’s participants!
