A new and improved 100 Miles for Hope

Dear American Legion Family Members and Friends,

I am so pleased to announce that The American Legion is expanding its 100 Miles for Hope challenge this year, following up on the successful inaugural challenge in 2020.

The first 100 Miles for Hope exceeded expectations in every way, getting American Legion Family members active amid the pandemic while raising funds and awareness for the American Legion Veterans & Children Foundation (V&CF). We raised about $150,000 last year for the foundation and our goal for this year’s campaign is to double that.

To achieve that goal, we need your help and support.

Since the 2020 challenge concluded, we have been working on making the second annual event even bigger and better. Based on feedback, we have instituted improvements for this year, including allowing participants to track their progress and encourage others to support the V&CF on their behalf.

Done and done.

Registration is now open, though the actual challenge will commence on April 1.

UPDATE: The American Legion has added a second option for registration. Here are the two ways to register. Choose one:

1. Visit this special Emblem Sales web page to register and see the commemorative gear available for purchase this year with proceeds going to the foundation. This option is recommended for those who do not have a smartphone or wish to register multiple family members.
2. We also have an app from a company called Kilter. The Kilter app allows us to take full advantage of pushing donations toward the foundation. In doing so, we had to make a notable change. Instead of miles, we will be counting activities with a duration of at least 30 minutes. After all, that is among the goals: to achieve that baseline of physical activity daily. For a helpful step-by-step guide on registering via the app, watch this video.

It doesn’t matter whether you walk, run, swim, cycle, use an elliptical trainer or some other form of movement. The app has more than 40 different activities to choose from — even rucking, dancing and playing pickleball. And American Legion Riders can log their activities by choosing “advocacy” or “volunteering,” or manually entering a ride.

We have reduced the registration fee to $20 — while rewarding every participant with a medal.

We have also added a collection of commemorative 100 Miles for Hope merchandise at Emblem Sales that you can purchase to support the V&CF. This year, we have new tech shirts, sweatshirts, baseball caps, a pin, a patch for Legion Riders and a challenge coin. Proceeds from those sales go directly to the foundation.

Here’s how to register via Kilter:

1. On your smartphone or tablet, go to the App Store to search for Kilter and then download the free Kilter app and create an account. (Please note that Kilter allows only one participant per account. If you want to register multiple family members, they will need to have separate accounts.)

Go to the EVENTS tab. Before April 1, The American Legion’s 100 Miles for Hope will be found under the PAID tab. As of April 1, it will be under the LIVE tab. Select event, click JOIN and pay your $20 entry fee.

(NOTE: Alternatively, you can visit kilterrewards.com to create your account. Afterward, you receive an automatic confirmation email with step-by-step instructions on how to use the app.)

2. On the app, view MY EVENTS to confirm registration.

3. Complete daily wellness activities of at least a half-hour and accumulate points. You can complete up to three wellness activities each day that count toward your total. And there are ways to receive bonus points! Check the app to find out how. There are more than 40 different activities to choose from. And if your activity isn’t represented on the app, you can create a manual activity that will count. Click this link to learn more about how to track your efforts, review a list of activities and how to add manual ones.

How to help V&CF

1. Visit this special page at Emblem Sales to view and purchase commemorative 100 Miles for Hope gear. All proceeds from these sales go toward the V&CF.

2. Use the app’s individual donation tool to encourage friends and family to support your personal wellness goal as well as the V&CF with a donation.

This addition was inspired by members such as Charlie Parker, a 75-year-old Navy veteran who uses a wheelchair. He completed his 100 miles by swimming and raised about $2,000 for the V&CF on his own simply by asking friends and family members to pledge support for him.

Other improvements include:

• This year’s event runs from April 1 through Sept. 6, giving you even more time to achieve wellness goals and raise money to support veterans and military families.

• The ability to download and customize your own “race bib” like those that are traditionally worn in 5Ks and other races. Visit the 100 Miles for Hope web page to get yours.

Get registered today and order your commemorative gear so that it will be delivered in time for your first walk, ride or other form of exercise as part of the event.

I am truly excited about embarking on my second 100-mile challenge. And, I’ll certainly be asking my network of family and friends to support the Veterans & Children Foundation with a kind donation on my behalf. How about you?