A MESSAGE FROM Madison Runs A Marathon (For Kilometer Kids!)
Thank you so much for your support in helping make a difference in the lives of thousands of kids participating in Atlanta Track Club's Kilometer Kids Program!
My name is Madison Hafitz, and I am the Associate Director of Youth & Adult Programming at Atlanta Track Club. In my role, I live and breathe all things Kilometer Kids! I am honored to be fundraising to support this program as I prepare to run my very first marathon!
More About Me: I was born and raised in Atlanta, GA, and actually ran Atlanta Track Club races (Peachtree Junior) back when I was a kid! I moved away from Atlanta for almost a decade for college (Tufts University), work (City Year Boston), and then graduate school (University of Michigan), and returned to Atlanta looking for a job where I could make an impact in my community through the lens of public health. Fortunately for me, a youth program manager position became available at Atlanta Track Club during this time. Almost five years later, I am now an Associate Director with the Club and am grateful every single day to have a job I am so motivated by. Throughout my life, sports have been the place where I found community, learned many life skills, and discovered how to feel confident in myself, so I am deeply passionate about creating opportunities for young people to do the same. Each season, every Kilometer Kid sets the goal of achieving a half marathon or a full marathon by the end of the 10-week season. I am excited to follow their lead in setting the goal of completing my very first marathon in New York this year as my parents are from New York and New Jersey. While the program has been around since 2007, I helped to resurrect it after the COVID-19 pandemic and it has been my pride and joy to watch it grow and thrive.
More About Kilometer Kids: Kilometer Kids is Atlanta Track Club's oldest and largest youth running program. The free, game-based curriculum is designed to teach kids in grades K-5 about goal setting, healthy habits, respect, and community building, all by exposing them to the sport of running. Over the course of the 10-week season, the goal for every Kilometer Kid is to run 13.1 or 26.2 miles (depending on how many practices they attend each week). There is no fee to participate, and the program is for all elementary students regardless of running ability or experience. Being a Kilometer Kid is not about running the fastest or winning the race. Instead, it's all about working hard, being kind, and having fun while becoming more physically active, being a part of a team, and finding joy in the process.
To see the program in action, check out this video.
Given that this program is free to all families who want their child to participate, Kilometer Kids is mainly supported through grant dollars and donations. I have a lofty goal of raising $22,000 through my marathon journey to support this program, and would love to have you support me in this effort! Just $20 supports one child to be able to participate in our program! Please see other examples of how your donation could impact the program:
- $5 = Your donation of $5 can help provide a celebratory Kilometer Kids medal for a young runner achieving their goal of completing 26.2 miles over the course of the 10-week season
- $10 = Your donation of $10 can help provide a Kilometer Kids team shirt to a participant, ensuring that all children feel like a part of something bigger than themselves
- $25 = Your donation of $25 can help prepare a volunteer Kilometer Kids coach with the tools they need to execute the program and to change the lives of countless young people in their community
- $100 = Your donation of $100 can help provide the technology to track an entire Kilometer Kids team’s mileage for the season, reinforcing healthy habits as they track their progress toward their goals
- $500 = Your donation of $500 can support an entire team of 25 participants in the program, creating more access and opportunity for physical activity for youth in Atlanta
- $1,000 = Your donation of $1,000 can help reserve field space for a team for an entire season, so countless Kilometer Kids can run and work toward their goals of both finishing 26.2 miles during the season and building a lifetime of healthy habits
Photos & Videos
