In past Sweet Lemon posts, I’ve discussed She’s the First, my running goals, and my favorite mobile apps. This post will combine all of those wonderful things. Last week, I attended STF’s Social Media Week influencer reception here in New York City. At the event, I had the pleasure of meeting
Charity Miles Founder Gene Gurkoff. If you’re not familiar with Charity Miles but do a lot of walking or running, this is your chance to give to your favorite charities while getting healthier. Gene has run 35 marathons to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease in honor of his grandfather and wanted to figure out an easy way for runners to give back during training. The free Charity Miles app couldn’t get any easier.
Download it here. Once it’s downloaded, all you have to do is choose a charity, press Start, and get moving. The app tracks your milage, converts it to a dollar amount, and makes a donation through a sponsoring company on your behalf. Told you it was easy.
The reason I knew about the app before meeting Gene was because STF Founder Tammy Tibbetts and her roommate Erin have used it while training for races (a half and a full marathon) to sponsor girls’ education in the developing world. I’ve followed their training hashtag () for the past few months and have been amazed by their dedication. They’re sending 26 girls to school…that’s huge. Want to help? It’s also fun to watch them post Charity Miles updates at the end of each run to see which other causes they’re supporting along the way.
STF is also sponsoring a Run the World campaign this spring. From March-June, groups from across the country will be organizing fitness events to raise $50,000 (or more!) to give the gift of education to 100 girls around the world. In the last few days of February, supporters have already raised 15% of the goal. Whether you plan a Zumba class or want to run your own race, this is an amazing opportunity to make a difference through an organization that gives 100% of its donations to education. And while you’re at it, switch on Charity Miles to do some good along the way. STF will be able to accept donations through the app very soon. This might be my motivation to finally get out and run an official race.
If you missed it in the November/December issue of Sweet Lemon Magazine, read more about how Tammy Tibbetts founded STF.
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