The ABCs of 100 Miles for Hope

Here is a look at where things stand — by the letter of the law, so to speak — with roughly two months remaining in the second annual 100 Miles for Hope.

A: American Legion Family. All members are encouraged to participate. If you haven’t already, sign up today at this link to improve your fitness and wellness, while helping drive critical donations to The American Legion Veterans & Children Foundation.

B: Breakout challenge. Department of California Commander Autrey James challenged other departments to join a special challenge throughout the month of July. Support your department by registering and donating today. The winning department in each of six categories receives a plaque. All the details are here.

C: Celebrate! Take pride when you finish your 100 mile challenge and show off your achievement with this customizable poster.

D: Donations. The 100 Miles for Hope is a fundraiser for The American Legion Veterans & Children Foundation (V&CF). The Kilter app allows for peer-to-peer fundraising for participants. Here are some tips on fundraising.

E: Emblem Sales. To participate in 100 Miles for Hope, you don’t necessarily have to perform the physical activities or donate. You can also help a family member, comrade or friend by supporting them with a 100 miles branded gift. Visit Emblem Sales to see all the options.

F: Families. The V&CF provides grants for military families with minor children at home who are facing financial hardship. For nearly 100 years, the foundation has helped support military families. Learn more here.

G: Goal. The goal for this year’s challenge is to generate $300,000 for the Veterans & Children Foundation, which would double the total raised in 2020. Your support is critical in achieving this goal.

H: Hope. Through the challenge and its beneficiary, the Veterans & Children Foundation, The American Legion provides hope to disabled veterans and military families facing financial crises.

I: Ice skating. It’s among the more than 40 activities listed on the Kilter app, even though participants may not be engaging in that activity at this time of the year.

J: Jump in today! What are you waiting for? Get active. Improve your mental wellbeing. And show your support for our nation’s disabled veterans and military families.

K: Kilter. The Kilter app is one of two ways that participants can register. For participants who want to track their activities and encourage others to fundraise, it is recommended that they use an app from a company called Kilter. Learn more about both options for registering on this page.

L: Legiontown. Share your 100 Miles for Hope journey on the Legiontown web page to inspire others to get active.

M: Medals. Every participant receives a medal for their support of the 100 Miles for Hope challenge. Medals were being shipped out on or about July 1.

N: New items. For the second annual 100 Miles for Hope, The American Legion is offering new items to purchase to support the campaign, including a tech shirt, Riders patch, hat, sweatshirt, hat pin and challenge coin. Visit Emblem Sales to learn more.

O: One hundred. That’s the percentage of all donations, merchandise sales and registration fees go to the V&CF.

P: Promotional materials. There are resources to engage your community and invite them to participate. They include a poster, sample press release and video all available on this page.

Q: Quidditch. The Harry Potter game isn’t listed among the activities on the Kilter app. However, if you participate in the game (or gardening, riding a motorcycle or other activities) you can add it by selecting “other” in the Kilter app.

R: Riders challenge. Thanks to a suggestion by an American Legion Rider member, the 100 Miles for Hope Riders Challenge was recently launched. It goes through Labor Day, just like the regular challenge. Riders chapters and individual members can receive special rewards, based on meeting various tier levels. Learn all the details here.

S: Service officers. Donations to the V&CF fund the work of accredited American Legion service officers, who provide free assistance to all veterans seeking help with obtaining the benefits they earned through their service.

T: Thirty minutes a day. That’s all you need to do to meet the requirements for an activity to count. The Kilter app allows for up to three activities per day.

U: Unlimited: There are no limits to the types of activities that you can log on the Kilter app by selecting “other.”

V: Veterans. The 100 Miles for Hope campaign is just one example of how The American Legion adhere to its motto of Veterans Strengthening America.

W: Warm up. Before starting to exercise, be sure to warm up to decrease the risk of injury.

X: X marks the spot. Set a goal, then cross off your incremental goals as you progress toward your overall goal.

Y: You. Our nation’s veterans, servicemembers and their families all need your support. Participating in the 100 Miles for Hope challenge is one way that you can provide the assistance needed by our disabled veterans and military families.

Z: Zzzzzzzzz. Don’t forget to get plenty of rest to help your recovery from the walking, cycling and other activities.