Be a Run Mentor for Veterans!!

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Mile in My Shoes is currently seeking Run Mentors for Team Minnehaha, a non-residential team for Veterans. This team was created in partnership with Every Third Saturday, a local non-profit dedicated to fostering hope and supporting post-traumatic growth for Veterans, and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Veterans are disproportionately impacted by issues such as depression/PTSD, substance misuse, and homelessness, and MiMS is looking forward to providing community, social support, and physical activity for Veterans referred by our partners. This team will be located in South Minneapolis near Minnehaha Park and will run Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. Runs for this team will begin mid-April, with training occurring in March.

Run Mentors are runners of all abilities, speeds, and motivations with one thing in common - the desire to spread the transformative power of running. While Run Mentors often join MiMS to volunteer their time and to help others, they soon discover that they get back much more than they give. By running side-by-side with Resident Members, Run Mentors have the opportunity to motivate new runners while cultivating relationships that transform their perceptions of homelessness, incarceration, or addiction. Run Mentors commit to showing up to their team at least one day of the week for at least one four-month cycle. However, we find Run Mentors get the most out of their experience when they participate in additional ways, such as team social events, races, and learning opportunities. Run Mentors are also expected to participate in at least one of these events per cycle.

Run Mentors should:

• show up to each run ready to engage and encourage
• be prepared to run (or not run) based on what a Resident Member needs that day; training expectations should be saved for another time
• leave assumptions at the door; approach getting to know Resident Members with the same curiosity as you would anyone else you run with
• be ready to embrace learning and growth as a part of their MiMS experience
• participate in social events and races-these events offer opportunities to get to know your teammates on a different level and deepen connections to your team
• embrace and support MiMS’ values

Mile in My Shoes is dedicated to ensuring that our volunteers reflect the diverse and vibrant communities we work with. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from all backgrounds, including Black and African-Americans, African immigrants, Asian-Americans, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, Latinx individuals, LGBTQ-identified people, and people with personal or professional experience with homelessness, incarceration, and addiction, to apply. We also encourage applications from runners of all paces, experience levels, and abilities, as well as people with bodies that aren’t traditionally represented in running spaces.

Time Commitment:

• 1 run per week for a minimum of a full cycle (four months)
• 2 hour orientation
• Various races, social events, and learning opportunities throughout the cycle

We are also seeking individuals interested in leadership roles called Core Team. These Mentors take on additional responsibilities beyond the runs. If you're interested in one of these roles, please indicate this on your application and we will follow up with more information.

Though we accept Run Mentor applications on a rolling basis, most roles will be filled prior to the start of each cycle (March and July). Other opportunities will be filled as they become available. New Run Mentors must complete a review of the handbook and attend an orientation, held monthly, before joining runs. In order to be considered for this position, please complete the Run Mentor Application found at https://forms.gle/tEYhueiwD9qEqsBa8.