Friends,
As most of you know I am a big supporter of SSG Travis Mills and his non-profit organization The Travis Mills Foundation. This year, I am participating in the 2018 Miles for Mills 5K - Presented by T-Mobile on Memorial Day 2018 in Downtown Augusta, Maine to benefit the Travis Mills Foundation.
The Travis Mills Foundation supports combat-injured veterans and their families through an all-inclusive retreat located in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine. Veterans and their families attend the retreat for a week at a time to enjoy a much-needed all expenses paid vacation, adaptive family activities, and meeting other veteran families to share the journey with on the road to a 'new normal' in life after injury.
The namesake for who our event was created for is US Army SSG (Retired) Travis Mills. In April 2012, while on routine patrol on his third deployment in Afghanistan, SSG Mills was critically injured by an IED. Although he is now a quadruple amputee, today SSG Mills is an active community member, father, husband, small business owner, author, and motivational speaker.
I have read his book, and watched his documentary, which ison Netflix at Travis: A Soldier's Story.. If you really want to learn more about about why I am running then I invite you to watch his documentary or read his book.
I also had the opportunity to meet Travis at his retreat last year (the picture above was taken at the retreat), Travis is truly someone who cares for the cause. You can find videos of him circulating all over the web from Mike Rowe's Returning the Favor episode to snippets of him on youtube. I can fully attest the man you see on those videos is the man I met. He is so full of life and has so much love and joy for the people he is helping, it is why I have made the effort to join him in his cause.
I hope that you will support me in my efforts to honor veterans and their families. We live in a free nation thanks to their continued fight for our safety and security at home and abroad.
Miles for Mills 2018
The 2018 Miles for Mills 5K marks our 6th year of celebration!
Please join us on Monday, May 28 at 9:00 am at Kennebec Valley Coaching (50 Front St. Augusta, Maine). The race will begin shortly after our national anthem and announcements at 8:30 am. Parking is available throughout downtown Augusta.
What started as a 5K to support SSG Travis Mills after his injury has now become a signature event on Memorial Day every year to support the Travis Mills Foundation.
The namesake for which our event was created is US Army SSG (Retired) Travis Mills. In April 2012, while on routine patrol on his third deployment in Afghanistan, SSG Mills was critically injured by an IED. Although he is now a quadruple amputee, today SSG Mills is an active community member, father, husband, small business owner, author, and motivational speaker.
The Travis Mills Foundation supports combat-injured veterans and their families through an all-inclusive retreat located in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine. Veterans and their families attend the retreat for a week at a time to enjoy a much-needed all expenses paid vacation, adaptive family activities, and meeting other veteran families to share the journey with on the road to a 'new normal' in life after injury.
Runners who raise $100 to support our foundation receive a free New Balance running shirt for their efforts!
Shirts for runners who raise $100 will be distributed on event day or at Early Packet Pickup (Location / Time TBD). A very limited quantity of shirts will be available for purchase for $25 on event day. Fundraising is optional but encouraged to support the many veterans and their family members who have sacrificed so much so that we may live free.
For more information on SSG Mills, the Travis Mills Foundation, and our retreat, please visit: www.travismills.org
The Travis Mills Foundation supports recalibrated veterans and their families through long-term programs that help these heroic men and women overcome physical obstacles, strengthen their families, and provide well-deserved rest and relaxation.
We support these veterans through our nationally recognized retreat located in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine. Veteran families who have been injured in active duty or as a result of their service to our nation receive an all-inclusive, all-expenses paid, barrier-free vacation in Maine where they participate in adaptive activities, bond with other veteran families, and enjoy much-needed rest and relaxation in Maine’s outdoors.
In 2017 we hosted 84 veteran families that were able to participate in adaptive sports and activities. We have expanded programming to 16 weeks for 2018 in hopes to serve 128 veteran families.