About Us
WHO WE ARE
Running Tracks for Kids, Inc. started out as a discussion between myself and my two daughters in the summer of 2022. I asked them if they would've had a better time on their high school track & field team if they had a track to use in middle school. Not surprisingly, they said they would have.
I was a little irritated because as a middle school student fifty years ago, I was able to run on a decomposed granite track in a lower middle class suburb of St. Paul, MN. Why couldn't my kids have had the same opportunity in the 21st century?
Even more important than athletics; a track can be a major benefit to the health & fitness of the students. Not having a healthy lifestyle can cause co-morbidity ailments and negative future quality of life issues (physical and mental) for our children. Overall health is also a major factor in catching and the severity of Covid-19. Ultimately, it's up to us parents to ensure our kids have the right tools to succeed in their journey to adulthood.
So, after talking with and getting the support of the local PTA and school board; I decided to put my money where my mouth was. And that's how it all started....
Fund-raisers for local school boards
Basically, we're here to raise funds for school boards to construct tracks at middle schools that don't have them. Each track is approximately $250,000. Not inexpensive; but will last the life of the school. Research shows that there's quite a few middle schools out there without a track; so there's plenty of demand for an organization like ours to fill that need.
No other non-profit raises money in this area; to the best of my knowledge. We're able to contribute 97% of all funds raised to our projects by keeping expenses low.
I'm comfortably retired and we have no salaried employees or infrastructure beyond this website.
Coming from a family that has been involved in national media for decades; I can assure you that your contributions will be recognized on a local and national level.
More importantly, you'll have the satisfaction of helping our kids get healthier.
This is a problem that cries out for attention...just look around you. Thanks for being part of the solution!