M is for Miles for Miller

On New Year's Eve, one of the assistant principals at Bert's school was stabbed to death by his mentally ill son. His son took not only his father's life, but his grandfather's as well. It was devastating.

The school decided to start a scholarship fund in honor of the assistant principal. Bert was really shaken by the events and decided he had to do something. An avid runner, he decided to seek sponsors to fund the miles he ran from February 1-May 1 and donate 100% of the proceeds to the scholarship fund. Bert came up with the name for his cause, Miles for Miller. I put my PR skills to use and made the logo (above, minus the hot pink border of course), flyers, stationery, etc. We were able to raise most of the $1,000 goal from a variety of local businesses and friends. Bert ran his miles diligently and visited business after business.

As May 1 neared, we were still over $250 from the goal. One of the teachers at his school suggested he contact R.E.M., as they are known for being really generous in our community. I tracked down the name for the band's manager and Bert got in touch with him. Thanks to a very generous $300 donation from R.E.M., a $300 donation from R.E.M.'s manager and his wife and several last-minute other donations, Bert ended up raising $1433.00 for the scholarship fund. Thank you, R.E.M.!

Bert capped the miles he would charge sponsors for at 300, but he went on and ran 395 miles over 3 months -- an average of nearly 4.5 miles per day. And I force him to take one day a week off. :) In fact, due to his class schedule this semester (he's working on his Ph.D.), he had to take two days a week off. This man ran some serious miles.

I am just so happy that we are able to help future generations of students reach their goal of a college education. It was a lot of work, but I think both of us are glad we took on the challenge. And more than anything, it showed me even more what a kind and generous heart Bert has. From this tragedy, we hope that Miles for Miller will help a legacy live on for many generations.

Labels: alphabet, Bert