Stroller Warriors by the Numbers in 2017

By: Kelly Mulder
(Credit also to Payge B for her amazing job compiling the data and Rachel M for her fabulous editing skills!)
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Our Fearless Founder, Stephanie Geraghty, started a tradition of attempting to quantify the awesomeness that is Stroller Warriors. This tradition will continue! It is fun to look back over the year and see all that our wonderful club has accomplished.

The fact of the matter is that we are so much more than a running club. We run, yes we do! And we build new runners and help beginner and experienced runners alike set and achieve new goals. But also we are volunteers, we are leaders, and we work hard to give back to the military and our surrounding communities as well.

It is impossible to capture in one snapshot how amazing we are, so we’ll let this awesome data speak for itself. Our team’s achievements are absolutely amazing. We are so proud of all of our chapters for their hard work! 

​Without further ado, I present to you (drum roll please!) . . .

Stroller Warriors Running Club by the Numbers in 2017! 
182,000: Total miles ran with the Run the World mileage incentive campaign 
19,440: Members on our group pages as of January 23, 2018 
8,577: Likes on our global page
$24,844.34: Dollars donated to organizations around the world
9,200: Total items donated to charitable organizations around the world
$3,453: Total raised for Cure SMA 
3,012: Items donated to Tripler Fisher House 
760: Inches of hair donated to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths Hair Drive
710: Cookies baked for charitable organizations
591: Pairs of shoes donated to Soles4Souls
577: Wreaths donated to Wreaths Across America
551: Mini Miles graduates 
543: Couch to 5K (C25K) graduates 
440: Cans/boxes of food donated to charitable organizations
387: Pounds of food donated to charities
380: Total participants in Run the World, representing 37 chapters total and including 31 global participants  
255: Club leaders/volunteers 
228: Toys donated to Toys for Tots
179: Books donated to Operation Paperback
152: Meal trains provided to Stroller Warriors in need
128: Members who completed the Couch to Crazy series, representing 14 chapters total
114: Bridge to 10K (B210K) graduates 
111: Letters written for Operation Gratitude
98: Free race registrations gifted to members
95: Donors for the Pantene Beautiful Lengths Hair Drive, including 65 adults and 28 children
80: Chapter coordinators (aka “Fearless Leaders”)
63: C25K sessions offered at 36 chapters
50: Items donated to Girls on the Run
43: Chapters at year end
40: Valentine’s Day cards for elder community center
10: Gifts of BOB
19: Workouts dedicated by chapters to wear blue: run to remember
18: Workouts dedicated by chapters in honor of those lost in the KC-130 crash
17: Workouts and fundraisers hosted by chapters to support Cole Geraghty and Cure SMA
16: B210K sessions offered at 12 chapters
16: Relay races completed
11: Headquarters leaders
11: Workouts dedicated by chapters to autism awareness and acceptance
11: Christmas gifts donated to Operation Santa Claus
8: Global staff members
8: New chapters added in 2017
4: Shoe drives for Soles4Souls
4: Awards given to chapters

SW Fort Riley's 1st C25K Graduation Race! They participated in the Bill Snyder 5K.

As you can tell, our team has been hard at work making the world a better place! As I compared last year’s numbers to this year’s numbers, several things jumped out at me.
 
We had 577 wreaths donated to Wreaths Across America! Numerous chapters participated not only by raising money to purchase wreaths but also by volunteering their time to travel to the cemeteries and pay their respects. These same chapters went back out again to clean up the wreaths after the holiday season was over. Stroller Warriors Fort Belvoir deserves some special recognition. They took their wreath drive to another level and were able to purchase 475 wreaths alone!

We had 111 letters written to Operation Gratitude. Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that make the most difference. Saying thank you to our service members and writing a special handmade note to go into their care packages helps take things the extra mile. I’m sure these special handmade notes made their day! The handmade notes I saw photos of were adorable. Our Mini Warriors were really hard at work on those letters! Writing thank you notes to our military, our heroes, also helps to teach our Mini Warriors the importance of saying thank you to others—the importance of letting others know that their lives matter.

As many of you know, our founder’s son, Cole, has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and we often fundraise for Cure SMA in Cole’s honor. In 2017, we continued our club support and raised a total of $3,453 dollars for Cure SMA! This money will help to support families affected by SMA, educate the community, and, most of all, seek a cure. Of that $3,453, our virtual 5K run/walk raised $597, Cole’s online donation page raised $1,272, and the Strength for Cole t-shirt order raised $1,585. Great job, Stroller Warriors!

Team Elsewhere got out there and dedicated their miles to Cole from all around the world!

The military lifestyle is not always easy. We send our spouses away on a regular basis, not always sure they will be coming back home. 2017 was been a hard year for the United States military with numerous crashes and many, many lives lost. Our Warriors lost husbands, best friends, and incredible members of our community. We stood together and ran to honor the incredible lives lost. We also raised money, gave gifts, made meal trains, and did our best to show our love and support. I love that our team comes together in the good times and in the bad to make a difference in the lives of others. 

SW Camp Lejeune dedicated their miles in late July 2017 to the 16 men who lost their lives in the KC-130 crash. They honored the fallen by announcing each name, remembering, and pausing for a few moments of silence. They ran 16 minutes out, 16 minutes back, and then completed a 'Remembrance 16' strength workout at the playground. ❤️ Always Remember.

SW Fort Worth hosted a 12 Runs of Giving Event! They donated 12 toys to Toys for Tots and 85 LBS of donations (non perishable items and personal care items) to Community Link!

Below you will find a list of organizations that our chapters donated to in some form this year. As you scroll down, I bet your response will mirror mine—the list is HUGE. These organizations are presented in no particular order, and every single one touched our hearts in a special way. We are honored to help them meet their mission just as they help us meet ours.
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We were proud to support these incredible organizations and activities through donations of funds, supplies, and time:

• Acorn House
• Action in Community Through Service (ACTS)
• Ainsley’s Angels of America
• Aloha Dream Center
• American Red Cross
• Atlantic Marine Corps Communities (AMCC) Housing Office
• AUTOSOURCE 25K
• Backlit Run
• Bataan Memorial Death March
• Beat the Bridge
• Beat the Heat
• Bling for Bravery
• Blue Mile
• CA Run for the Fallen
• Child & Family Service of Hawaii
• Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA)
• Coastal Women’s Shelter
• Community Link
• Dandelion Kids Consignment
• EFMP Special Olympics
• Elder Community Center
• Fisher House Foundation
• Friends of Caroline Hospice
• Girls on the Run
• Grateful Nation Program
• Help Oki
• Holbrook Memorial Procession
• I Love A Clean San Diego
• Joshua Tree Half Marathon

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SW Pearl Harbor Fisher House donations.

• Kadena Special Olympics
• Local beach cleanup
• Local playground cleanup
• MWR Fort Worth
• Operation Gratitude
• Operation Santa Claus
• Operation Warmheart
• Pantene Beautiful Lengths
• Park to Park Race
• PC NICU
• Prince William Forest Park cleanup
• Quantico Officers’ Spouses’ Organization
• Ragnar Relay
• Rock N Fly Half Marathon
• Soles4Souls
• St. Mary’s Caring
• Storknester Program
• STRIDE of Coastal Carolina
• Sue Ryder
• The Military Attic
• Toys for Tots
• Tripler Fisher House
• Urawa Women’s Shelter
• USO Cookie Caravan
• Windward Spouse Abuse Shelter
• Wreaths Across America

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SW Cherry Point Warriors share high fives during their September 2017 Hurricane Harvey Dedication Run.

We ran in honor of these causes:

• American Red Cross
• Autism awareness and acceptance
  
• Global Running Day
• Hurricane Harvey relief
• Honoring Our Heroes
• Miles for Tina
• Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
  
• Operation Gratitude
• RED Shirt Friday
  
• Semper Fi Fund
  
• Service members lost in the KC-130 crash
• Stephen Siller Tunnels to Towers Foundation
  
• Strength for Cole/Cure SMA
• Suicide awareness
• Toys for Tots
• Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors (TAPS)
  
• wear blue: run to remember
  

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SW 29 Run to Remember - May 2017

We want to extend a big THANK YOU to these organizations, businesses, and individuals for their support:

• 808 Cleanups 
• Be Fit Kailua
• Bishop’s Events
• Child & Family Service of Hawaii 
• Coastal Carolina Designs
• First Command 
• First Command Mermaid Series Race 
• FIT4MOM 
• Fleet Feet Sports San Diego
• Fleet Feet Sports Vacaville 
• Fort Worth MWR
• Girls on the Run of Hawaii
• Glass House in the Forest
• Hawaii Running Lab 
• Headsets 
• Iron Horse 
• J&A Racing 
• Kualoa Ranch 
• La Mariana Sailing Club 
• Landstuhl Fisher House 
• Landstuhl Regional Medical Center OBGYN clinic
• LeftTurn Designs 
• Mike Ryan and Blue Star Families
• Oahu Spine & Rehab 
• Pacific Aviation Museum 
• Painting with a Twist 
• Road Runner Sports
• Run With It
• Samaritan House
• St. Stephen's Episcopal Church 
• Synergy PT & Athletic Performance
• USO Eielson
• USO Kaiserslautern 
• Zama Community Spouses’ Association (ZaCSA)​

​(With so many chapters and events going on year-round worldwide, it's quite possible we may have missed a name or two. We apologize in advance, and please feel free to comment and add to our list as needed!)
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We have a few additional important thank-yous to extend. . . 
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Our service members: We are able to be as awesome as we are because of the support of our spouses! They build us up, help us to believe in ourselves, and allow us to invest in each other. Their support enables us to make our families stronger, teach our kids about fitness and friendship, and make the world a better places!

Our military installation personnel/leadership: We commend our military installations for embracing our presence and building and maintaining trails and play equipment. We are very grateful for local and affordable opportunities to compete in the base-sponsored races. (We also love seeing the addition of stroller divisions!) We hope our relationship with these military installations continues to grow and deepen for years to come.

Our Fearless Leaders and volunteer staff: You are the heart of this organization. You give more hours than our members will ever know and you do it with joy. Your role is not without challenges, sometimes even tears. You weather the ups and downs with strength and grace. You dream big and keep working to make our SW villages even better, even stronger. Keep being fearless. THIS IS WHY.

Our Headquarters team and global staff: These women are the unsung heroes behind the scenes who literally run the club on a global scale. HQ establishes and upholds our club guidelines so we can continue to meet the mission we hold so dear. They hire and mentor coordination staff and provide ongoing guidance and support. They oversee chapter activity and provide feedback. When needed, they handle the hard stuff and they do so with professionalism and kindness. They often balance their HQ duties with roles at their respective chapters. They receive very little reward or recognition aside from the personal satisfaction of knowing they're making a positive difference in the world. Oh, and they also make sure they have fun doing it! 
The following individuals held HQ and global jobs with Stroller Warriors in 2017, and we are beyond grateful for their contributions. They are the chosen few among thousands to lead this club!

Headquarters Staff:
Stephanie G: Founder and CEO
Deana H: HQ Staff, Guidebook Editor, Camp Lejeune Coordinator Alum
Kelly M: HQ Regional Manager, Blog Manager, Okinawa Founder, Quantico Founder
Rachel M: HQ Regional Manager, Ramstein Founder
Shannon F: HQ Staff, PR, Websites, China Lake Chapter Founder, Camp Lejeune Coordinator Alum
Megan D: HQ Regional Manager, Gear and Graphic Design Planning, 29 Palms Founder 
Wendy B: Run the World Campaign Manager, New Orleans Coordinator Alum
Payge B: HQ Regional Manager, Pearl Harbor Coordinator Alum, Elsewhere Coordinator 
Lindsay S: HQ Regional Manager, 29 Palms Coordinator Alum, Quantico Coordinator
Kim B: HQ Regional Manager, MacDill Founder
Amy A: HQ Regional Manager, Eielson Founder 

Social Media and Global Staff:
Lara H: Graphic Designer
Mariesa R: Graphic Designer
Shannon S: Graphic Designer
Kelly M: Blog Manager
Angel P: Blog Assistant Manager
Paige D: Blog Assistant Manager
Arlene A: Facebook Global Page
Angela S: Facebook Global Page Assistant and Run the World Assistant
Crystal N: Facebook Global Page
Haley W: Facebook Global Page
Heather H: Facebook Global Page
Libby L: Facebook Global Page
Lauren G: Facebook Global Page
Shannon F: Facebook Global Page, Public Relations, and Human Resources
Wendy B: Run the World

Happy Running from SW Headquarters! 

Your CEO, 
Kelly

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