This past Monday was my 60th birthday, and as is my custom for milestone birthdays, I decided to run my age while raising money for a good cause!

Thanks to everyone who cheered me on during the day and to the crowd who came to see me run my final mile.  It was a special treat to have my daughter Brenda and grandson Jimmy there at the end (see picture).  They came all the way from Africa!

The iGYM was kind enough to host this birthday run of mine.  (I’ve been a satisfied member there for seven years).  I ran 5 miles on each of their 12 sturdy treadmills, totaling 60.   I started at 4 am and God graciously gave me the strength to finish 15 hours later,  just after 7 pm.  I logged a total of 100,011 steps that day!

But it wasn’t easy.  There were moments during the run when I wasn’t sure if I would be able to finish.  At about mile 50 I was so weak and sore that I feared I couldn’t run another mile.  The day after, Tuesday, I was so sore and swollen I could hardly move!  Today (Wednesday) I’m still rather sore and it’s clear I’m going to lose at least one toenail.  Ouch!!

So was it worth it?

Absolutely!  I did all this because I want to raise donations for a new non-profit in the Cedar Rapids area called CareNetworkCR.

What is CareNetworkCR?  It’s a ministry that makes churches more effective by networking them together to care for the needs of our community.  We serve as a hub, connecting people with legitimate needs to area churches that are best equipped to meet those needs–materially, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.

The CareNetwork ascertains the real needs of people and presents suitable churches with care plans that are verified, manageable, and unduplicated.  Our motto perfectly describes what we do:  Helping churches help people.

I’m so passionate about what the CareNetwork does that I joined the board and then they selected me to be their chairman!

At the end of this post, I’ll link to an interview I did where I describe how I first saw the need for this over 30 years ago (half of my lifetime)!

How did the Fundraiser do?

My goal was to raise $6,000 for the CareNetwork, which would be the equivalent of $100 for every mile I ran.  As of today (Wed), we’ve raised $5,325.90, which is about 89% of the total.  I’m hoping readers of my blog will want to pitch in and help bring the total over my goal.

How can you donate?

Either go to our our website at https://www.carenetworkcr.org/donate or visit our Facebook page, where you can also learn more about this important new ministry.

Thanks to those of you who already have donated, or who will support us in this great effort!

Mark

As promised, here’s the video interview I did where I describe how I first saw the need for this type of ministry over 30 years ago.