Are you a University of Virginia student who likes running and helping others? Lace up those sneakers because Madison House wants you to volunteer for our Let Me Run program!

Let Me Run is part of a national initiative for boys in grades 4 through 6. Each week, volunteers train the boys in distance running and serve as a positive role model. Each practice will consist of stretching, warmup, a character activity, and a run. Experience in running is preferred, but not required. However, volunteers will be expected to run with the boys, starting from 0.5 mile runs and gradually increasing in distance and pace to approximately an 8 minute mile pace. It culminates with a 5k race in November! Practices are from 4:30pm-6:00pm Mondays and Wednesdays, although Madison House volunteers would only need to commit to volunteer with one shift per week.

Madison House's community parter for Let Me Run is the Piedmont Housing Alliance, which also operates a sister program called Girls On The Run. Piedmont Housing Alliance is an affordable housing non-profit working in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District in Central Virginia, including the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson counties. The mission of Piedmont Housing is to create housing opportunities and build community through education, lending and development.

Let Me Run boys leave the program with a sense of accomplishment, strengthened belief in themselves, and a greater appreciation for their peers. Learn more about the national program at letmerun.org.

Email letmerun@madisonhouse.org to learn more -- and hurry! Registration will close soon.