JULY 30, 2009 ISSUE
WYN Employee Pledges to Run More Than 100 Miles to Raise Funds
Former Marine Plans to Run 20 Miles Barefoot
Western Youth Network (WYN) employee Matt Jenkins isn’t taking damaging budget cuts sitting down. Instead, the former Marine and veteran marathoner is planning to hit the ground running to help the local nonprofit maintain services for local at-risk youth by running more than 100 miles. To prove how serious he is about his mission, Jenkins is planning on running 20 miles barefoot.
“My time in the Marine Corps taught me a lot about honor and commitment: you learn to face tasks head-on rather than shrink away or accept defeat,” said Jenkins. “It’s just as important to me now, working with these kids, to not give up on them and to show them that you can work hard and fight to create positive change in the world.”
To meet this goal, Jenkins has pledged to run 108.4 miles over three Sundays in August to raise money and awareness for the children served by WYN. An exceptional athlete, Jenkins has run more than 40 marathons. He is seeking corporate sponsors and individual donors to pledge their support for WYN and its services to help bridge the gap.
Based in Watauga County, WYN provides services and support to minors, many of who have behavioral, academic and legal challenges. Like many other nonprofits in this challenging economic climate, WYN is facing unprecedented budget cuts.
For more information about Western Youth Network, Jenkins, or his upcoming barefoot run please call WYN Executive Director Jennifer Grubb at 828-264-5174, email grubbj@westernyouthnetwork.org , or click to www.westernyouthnetwork.org.
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