Our Miles for Smiles Challenge runs from now to the beginning of November! We're honored to have such a supportive community who are rallying around our mission to support grieving children and their caregivers.
We created the challenge when Paul Marks, a volunteer in London, approached us wanting to do 45 days of runs to raise money for our nonprofit.
Why 45 days? Nick co-founded the investment platform Nutmeg in 2011. The idea was famously rejected 45 times in a row by funders, but the business was ultimately bought by JP Morgan in 2021 in a transaction that ensured the long-term future of the business and of Nick's original vision.
Paul has already completed two marathons during the first two weeks of the challenge, and plans to run one every week! You can support Paul's fundraising efforts here. If you would like to join him on his runs, you can connect with him here.
💜 Who We're Running For
When we were creating this challenge, we wanted to highlight members of our community who have inspired our work.
Last week, we ran for for Brianna, Malaya, and Donnell, three children who lost a parent at a young age, and who inspire our work every day. We are honored to share their stories in this video, where they share their dreams for their future.
Our team at Elizabeth's Smile hopes to help support children like Brianna, Malaya, and Donnell to be able to fulfill their dreams.
This week, we're running for Matt Argyle, who lives in the UK and lost his wife to leukemia in 2015. Their son and daughter are teenagers now, and he tells us that their school was very unprepared to support them when their mother died.
Our research has found that the UK is a bit more open to talking about grief, but the US is not. Our team at Elizabeth's Smile wants to change that - for Matt's children. Our team has personal experience with schools also being underprepared to support grieving children. We have to do better for our children.
🏃 How can you get involved?
Click here to sign up for the virtual run for grieving children. You don't need to be in London or run marathons to participate in the challenge. You can walk, bike, dance, do the Hokey Pokey -- anything to get moving!
Don't forget to capture your Miles for Smiles moments and share them on social by tagging us and using the hashtag #miles4smiles. Spread the word and inspire your friends and family to join us!
While participation is free, we encourage participants to consider making a donation to Elizabeth's Smile. Your generous contributions enable us to continue providing vital support to grieving children and their caregivers.