Honor Your Coach by Donating to Marathon Kids this Month!
By MK Editor, May 23, 2021
This year, GivingTuesday is a great day to Honor Your Coach by supporting Marathon Kids!
November 30 is GivingTuesday—the annual, global movement that harnesses people’s power to transform their communities through generosity. And this November, we’re hoping you’ll donate to Marathon Kids in honor of a coach. Because when you give to Marathon Kids, you aren’t just supporting our mission of getting kids moving and setting them on the path to a lifetime of good health. Your generosity also supports the Marathon Kids coaches across the country who make our program possible.
For over a quarter of a century, Marathon Kids has been showing kids that through running, they can achieve more than they ever thought possible. Our proven program supports the Whole Child, Whole School, Whole Community—and we could not do any of it without our coaches. They may be ordinary people—teachers, parents, volunteers—but these coaches are also superheroes who empower and motivate kids to challenge themselves and find their inner athlete as they achieve their physical activity goals, one step at a time.
Your gift to Marathon Kids helps to bring our coaches the tools and technology they need to support kids in believing in themselves and being healthy for a lifetime.
Coaches Play an Essential Role in Kids’ Lives
Coach Isaac Zertuche knows well the power of a good coach. He credits his high school football coach with teaching him life lessons about working hard, pushing through adversity and overcoming obstacles. “My first year playing football was extremely tough,” he says. “I was on the verge of giving up and quitting. [But] my coach believed in me and made sure I did not give up.”
Now, as a P.E. teacher with Midland ISD and a Marathon Kids coach, Zertuche views his role as being a positive, fun, supportive, and encouraging presence in his students’ lives. He loves helping his students push themselves to maximize their athletic abilities and “accomplish anything they put their minds to.”
Coach Julie Spelman of Austin ISD credits her own childhood coach with helping her find her life path. “She was always cheering us on,” Spelman remembers of her soccer coach. “She cared about each and every one of us. Because of her, I knew that I wanted to be a P.E. teacher.”
Now, Spelman makes it a point to let her own students know how much she cares about them. She loves that being a coach gives her “the opportunity to instill a lifelong passion for health and fitness” in kids. “I also love to see my students keep challenging and pushing themselves to do their best daily. I want them to know that anything is possible if they set their minds to it.”
Give to coaches by giving to Marathon Kids.
Donate Today to Support Marathon Kids and its Incredible Coaches
Marathon Kids offers first-class tools and technology for free to its running coaches to enhance kids’ experience on the track, field and gym—and we depend on donor support to do so. Your generosity on GivingTuesday, and any day of the year, supports Marathon Kids programming in many ways, including by giving coaches access to professional development, social and emotional learning resources, and on-demand support.
When you donate to Marathon Kids, you can be confident that your dollars are creating a better future for kids of all backgrounds and abilities, who will grow up with a solid foundation in good health. Your dollars also support the coaches who serve as these kids’ guides and mentors, helping them to experience the power of daily physical activity in improving their overall wellbeing and their lives.
