Mike Erwin, an American Legion Baseball and Boys State alum, encourages Team RWB chapters to join the 100 Miles for Hope challenge.
The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast this week welcomes Mike Erwin, who served in the Army from 1998 to 2015, and is the founder and executive director of Team Red, White and Blue.
Erwin’s connections to The American Legion go back to his youth. He is an alumni of American Legion Baseball and Boys State.
As executive director, he is responsible for the strategic direction of Team RWB, which includes administration of the board, program and service development, financial, tax, and fundraising management and making sure that the organization and its partnerships are aligned with Team RWB's mission. That mission is to enrich the lives of America's veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity.
After leaving the military, Erwin was challenged by a group of Green Berets who said he would get soft and stop exercising when he went to grad school. So Erwin signed up for the JFK 50, the nation’s oldest 50-mile ultra marathon.
“I took it as a personal challenge to stay active and to stay running,” he said. “By signing up for that I forced myself to making sure that I would be putting in enough miles so that I could complete it.”
That’s where the idea for Team Red, White and Blue was formed: a community of veterans to embrace fitness while raising awareness and donations for a cause.
Along similar lines, that’s what’s behind The American Legion 100 Miles for Hope.
“I’ve heard 100 Miles for Hope was very successful in 2020,” Erwin said. “We’ve shared it on all our social media channels the other day and have reached out to our chapters with strong American Legion connections. We want Team RWB members to be involved in 100 Miles for Hope. We’re absolutely fired up to be a part of it.”
For American Legion posts and Team RWB chapters that want to coordinate a 100 Miles for Hope event, there are promotional resources available including a poster, press releases and a hype video. Download the resources here.
To find a Team RBW chapter near you, visit this chapter locator.
“I love seeing The American Legion focusing on this. I love seeing the power of what the Legion does.”
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- Tango Alpha Lima