Living Giving: The Story of the 'Mile 7 Shirt'

Lori shares that the kids are incredibly encouraged and inspired with these shirts and are “treating them like gold!”

“It is amazing how so many people are reaching across continents to help these children have a better life,” she told me.

This project has been a natural outgrowth from, and wonderful complement to, my running marathons for worthy nonprofit organizations. I was able to personally travel to and tour Youth Villages in December 2011, and actually run a half marathon with one of the children in its care. In my 37-plus years of running, I’ve never been more inspired than when I crossed the finish line side by side with the 17-year-old from Youth Villages who was running his first major half marathon. I was very privileged to use the occasion to raise funds for Youth Villages, and generous donors from across the country came alongside the effort and provided more than $11,000 that I was able to hand-deliver to Lori.